


Someone I can't leave behind

by apolloxbvcky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Has Cats, Captain America Steve Rogers, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Gay Bucky Barnes, Identity Issues, Identity Reveal, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Number Neighbors, Shrunkyclunks, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:14:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apolloxbvcky/pseuds/apolloxbvcky
Summary: It starts when Steve is on his way back from a mission.He’s sitting on a corner of the Quinjet, alone, as he always does after missions, trying to clear his mind, when his phone pings: "Hey, number neighbor! I’m Bucky and incredibly bored. What are you up to?"
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 111
Kudos: 527





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so first of all, i know the whole number neighbor thing became popular like a year ago. which is when i started writing this  
> and then life got on the way  
> and then life got on the way again, and i'm quarantined and have too much free time  
> so here we are  
> i checked it and think there are no mistakes, but they are, i'm sorry, my eyes are burning today.
> 
> Translations of this work:  
> Russian: https://ficbook.net/readfic/9420661

It starts when Steve is on his way back from a mission.

He’s sitting on a corner of the Quinjet, alone, as he always does after missions, trying to clear his mind.

Nat and Clint are patching each other up, Tony is driving the plane, Bruce has his headphones on, and Sam and Thor are sleeping. The rest of the team stayed behind today.

He’s looking down at his lap, trying to calm down his adrenaline, when his phone pings. He reaches into his bag, where his running clothes still are from the day before – since his teammates called him while he was still on his morning run, and they had to pick him up in the middle of the forest, and takes the phone out, surprised it still has any battery left.

He presses on the power button, looking at the notification that says he’s got a message from an unknown number. He’s not surprised, he receives this kind of messages from burning phones and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on a daily basis.

He’s surprised, though, when he opens the message and it says:

_Hey, number neighbor! I’m Bucky and incredibly bored. What are you up to?_

He frowns, looking down at the screen. He reads the message a second time, and a third, and a fourth, until he accepts he lacks the information to understand anything about this message.

Since the message doesn’t really seem threatening – rather friendly, even, he replies.

_I’m sorry, who is this?_

The answer comes quickly. Whoever this person was, they weren’t lying about being bored.

_I told you, I’m Bucky, your number neighbor!_

Steve frowns again. His neighbor? He has only lived in the Tower and his apartment from DC since he came back, but he left Washington back in 2014 and hasn’t come back since. And there’s no way the compound has neighbors, being in the middle of a forest…

_I’m sorry, I think you got the number wrong. I don’t have neighbors._

Again, it’s only a few seconds until his phone pings again.

_1- what do you mean you don’t have neighbors? Everybody has neighbors._

_2- it’s a twitter game. You take your phone number and add or subtract one number and text it._

_1- Well, I don’t._

_2- So, your phone number is one number more or less than mine? When did this start? Does people have no regard for other people’s privacy?_

_lol chill dude it’s just a game. If you don’t want me to text you anymore just say it and I’ll leave you alone. sorry to bother._

Steve thinks about it. He has two options. One is to tell this person to fuck off and they’ll leave them alone forever. Two; he can keep talking to them, and, as they said, chill until he gets the adrenaline to leave his body. He decides to go for number two.

_No, it’s okay. I don’t really have anything else to do right now. I’m Steve._

_Damn bro was it that serious????_

He frowns. Did this random person just call him ‘bro’?

_It was. Maybe you don’t see it that way, but privacy is really important. Most people don’t know how much until they lose it._

_I, myself, value it a lot._

_Said the one talking to a stranger._

Steve lets out a chuckle. Well, he wasn’t wrong.

_You texted first._

_Touché. So, NN Steve, where are you from?_

_NN? And Brooklyn. But right now I’m living upstate._

_NN = number neighbor._

_Brooklyn, huh? I’m living in Brooklyn right now, but I was born in Indiana._

Steve frowns, surprised. The United States has 327,2 millions inhabitants, and this number neighbor person lives in the same neighborhood he grew up in. Either the universe is having a laugh at him, or the world really is a napkin.

_Really? What brought you to the Big Apple?_

_NYU._

Suddenly, Steve feels awkward. He had never even thought of the possibility of this person being a kid. Well, maybe not a kid, but still, incredibly younger than him. Although, to be fair, everyone on the world is incredibly younger than him.

_You’re in college? How old are you?_

_Yeah, well, I’m doing a History PhD, I’m graduating this year._

_And I’m 31. How old are you?_

_35._

_Lolz you’re old._

Steve scoffs before answering. If they only knew.

_Yeah, I guess I am. You’ll get there too._

_I wouldn’t count on it._

Again, Steve frowns, both surprised and confused. What could they possibly mean by that?

_Why? I hope this isn’t really nosy, but, are you… sick?_

_No, but exams might kill me before I get there._

_Oh. You were joking._

_Yeah. I usually am, so from now on be prepared._

Steve smiles softly. From now on? Meaning…

_You intend to keep texting me?_

_Unless you get sick of me, I will. I have no friends </3._

_Oh. Okay. I guess that’s a joke too._

_Yeah, it was. I have friends, don’t worry about me._

_That’s good. Everybody needs friends._

_Yeah, I guess. So what do you do for a living?_

Steve winces at that. It’s not like he can say he’s an Avenger to a completely random person, can he? But somehow, he doesn’t want to lie to Bucky. Bucky. That’s a weird name if he has heard one. Steve wonders what’s the meaning behind it.

_I work for the Government. Security and all that._

_OMG you’re in the CIA._

Steve chuckles.It’s cute that they seem excited about it.

_I can’t really say, but you can think that if you want._

_OMG I have a friend on the CIA._

_Cool._

_Now I can be gay and do crimes._

Steve raises his eyebrows. Because 1) did Bucky just come out to him? And 2) why would he want to do crimes?

_Or. You could, you know. Be gay and do good things._

_Where’s the fun in that, Stevie?_

“We’re landing in five minutes, guys, so you may as well put your belts on.” Tony says, and Steve pouts a little. He really wants to keep talking to Bucky.

_Well, okay. But if I arrest you one day, don’t say I didn’t warn you._

_I must go now. Hopefully, we’ll talk soon._

_Count on it, Stevie._

Steve locks his phone and puts it back on his backpack, sitting beside Sam, who has just woken up, and Bruce. Natasha is right in front of him, and she looks at him with one eyebrow raised. He frowns, confused, and she chuckles, looking away.

It’s not until two days later that Steve hears about Bucky again. He’s on the common room, watching a movie with Sam, when his phone pings. Sam picked the movie, and honestly, Steve couldn’t be more bored. So when his phone lets the little sound out, he thanks all the gods he knows – which, literally speaking, are two – and picks it from the table.

_What would you wear to a date with the second hottest guy alive??_

He chuckles, before biting his lip and typing an answer.

_I don’t know, I’ve never been on a date with a guy._

_But why are you not dating the hottest guy alive?_

_You’re straight? Damn, and I thought we could turn this into a fanfic-style love story._

_Oh, and because I’m the hottest guy alive, and I can’t really date myself, so I have to manage with the rest._

This time, he lets a full laugh out, and Sam looks at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Sorry bud.” he answers, before standing up and walking towards his bedroom, feeling Sam’s gaze on his nape.

_I never said I was straight. Just that I haven’t been on a date with a guy._

_But anyway, what are your options? And what kind of date are you having?_

_Hm, so you haven’t had the pleasure to enjoy a man yet. I’ll have to take you out on a date so you can experience it._

_And we’re going for dinner. It’s our first date so we’re going casual._

_Can I send you photos of my options?_

Steve laughs and rolls his eyes as he sits on his bed, supporting his back on the wall.

_What makes you think I’d say yes to you?_

_And yes, of course you can send me the pictures._

The next three messages are three pictures of Bucky in front of a mirror. He can’t see his face, but there’s a hint of long dark hair on his shoulders. On the first one, he’s wearing a baby blue button down and black pants. On the second one he’s wearing a purple v-neck with white jeans. On the third one, he’s wearing a red Henley and dark blue jeans. But Steve doesn’t stop on the clothes he’s sporting. He notices his body is strong, meaning he probably works out. He can see the muscles of his arms even through the fabric of the loose button down. His waist is slim, giving him a bit of a Dorito body, like Tony tells him he has, but his thighs are strong too, and wide. Before he notices, he’s biting on his lower lip. He shakes his head, closing his eyes, and puts his attention on the outfits again. After a bit, he replies.

_The Henley and jeans. It’s casual but you look good on them._

_Well, thank you Steve. I’ll wear that then._

_Sure. Are you leaving now then?_

_As soon as I get dressed. Thanks for helping, again. I’ll text you soon._

_Okay. It was nothing. Have fun!_

_Thanks, I will!_

It’s five hours later, when Steve is tucked in bed with his laptop on his legs, watching the same Friends episode he has seen 40 times, that his phone sounds again. He takes it and sees the number he has already grown familiar with. Then he realizes maybe it’s time for him to add Bucky’s contact. He does that first, unlocking his phone and adding the number – which he already knows by heart, of course, because it’s just one digit different than his, as ‘Bucky’. Then he opens his message app and reads the text.

_Hey, I’m back._

_Hello! Did you have fun?_

_I did._

Steve grimaces. It doesn’t seem like Bucky had come back excited at all. He may not have had any dates, but when he had, and they had gone right, he had ranted to Sam for hours, God knew that. Bucky doesn’t send any more texts after that one, so Steve replies.

_But?_

_But we ended up going to his house, and we had sex, and once we were done he basically kicked me out._

_And hey, it’s okay, I wasn’t expecting a ring or something; but it’s not what I’m looking for._

_I’m 31 and about to finish my PhD and I’d like to start settling things in my life._

_Again, I wasn’t expecting a ring or anything, but maybe… a second date? And, I mean, a real one, not a booty call._

_Sorry, I didn’t_ _mean_ _to vent on you._

Steve smiles. Somehow, the chain of texts makes him warm inside, especially the last one, Bucky apologizing for telling him how he felt. He doesn’t want him to feel bad about himself.

_No, it’s okay._

_And yeah, I understand. You shouldn’t feel bad about wanting to settle down._

_Don’t worry, Bucky. You’ll find someone._

_Yeah, I will._

Steve doesn’t know what to answer next, but he wants to keep talking to Bucky. He types and deletes a few sentences, until the whooshing sound makes him realize Bucky has sent him something before he makes up his mind.

_Anyway, what were you doing?_

He looks at his laptop, with the episode paused from the moment he had picked up his phone, and types an answer.

_I was watching Friends. One of my favorite episodes._

_Which one?_

_The one where Chandler and Monica get engaged._

_Oh. That’s a good one! I love Chandler and Monica._

_Me too! Who’s your favorite character?_

_Well, it used to be Ross – kind of why I’m getting my History PhD and all; but then I came out and I noticed he was a bit of a bigot so I switched lanes. As of right now it’s Joey, and not just because of how cute he is._

Steve giggles, and bits his own lip. God, what was Bucky doing to make him so giddy?

_Who’s yours?_

_Monica._

_I don’t know, I relate to her._

_You’re a control-obsessed chef in love with a loser?_

_I’m not a chef, although I make a killer pasta; but I guess I’m control-obsessed._

_As for the love thing, I’m not in love with anyone. Not at the moment._

_Not at the moment?_

Now, Steve frowns. He only knew Bucky for a total of three days, had never seen his face and didn’t even know what his voice sounded like. But he felt the need to tell him about Peggy, about how he felt after everything had happened. Still, he couldn’t be honest, or he would blow up his cover. If he could call that a cover.

_There used to be a girl… I thought she was the one. But we grew apart, because well, life happens. And the next time I saw her she had married someone and had kids. She told me she was happy, and I know she was._

_I’m happy for her._

_And you haven’t met anyone? How long has it been?_

_Really long. Really, really long._

_And no, my friend tries to set me up with a lot of people, and I tried to date my neighbor from DC, but life came in between again. In my line of work it’s kind of difficult to find someone who is willing to make commitments._

_What do you mean?_

_Well. I’m out of the country a lot, and sometimes without previous warning, so if I have to cancel a date last minute, chances are I won’t see that person again. They just… don’t get it, I guess. I don’t know._

_Well, that sucks._

_I hope you find someone too._

Steve smiles. Yeah, that would be great.

_Thank you._

_Also, and excuse me if you find this rude or something, but you said this person you thought was it… Was a woman?_

_Yes._

_And your neighbor too?_

_Yes._

_But you said you weren’t straight._

_I said I had never said I was straight._

_But you are?_

Steve takes a deep breath. Okay, now, onto the complicated part. Was he? Back in 2012, when he had met Tony… Okay, not right when he had met him, but after they saved the world together, and moving into his Tower, and, well, going on missions together, and all that, he could say he had had a crush on him, but he was with Pepper, so he never acted on it. He definitely had a sex dream with Thor once. And as soon as he spotted Sam on the National Mall, he started following him just to have a conversation with him. Okay, that last one was a little creepy, but still. He had had crushes on men, but was he really attracted to them? He had never talked about this with anyone, and talking about it with Bucky… it feels right. Maybe because he is gay, and has come out to him in such a comfortable and easy way. Maybe he wants to be like him. To feel good in his own skin like him. Steve doesn’t really know, but what he knows is that he wants to tell Bucky about his feelings. So he does.

_I mean._

_I don’t know._

_Growing up I didn’t have the freedom to decide if I liked boys or not. I was bound to end up with a woman, either I wanted it or not. Recently I’ve met people who identify as things I never even knew existed, and I’ve given it a lot of thought._

_And?_

_You don’t need to answer if you feel like I’m forcing you._

_It’s okay._

_I haven’t told anyone this, but I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual._

_I like women, I know I’ve loved one, but I’ve had feelings for men too, all my life, I know that now too. I just don’t feel like I’m ready to say it out loud._

After sending the message, Steve lets out the air he didn’t even realize he had been holding. He feels good. Maybe he’s not ready to say it out loud to his friends, but he’s ready to text it to his number neighbor, and that’s enough for now.

_That’s okay. Everyone does this kind of things in their own terms. If you feel someone is pushing you, just tell them to fuck off._

_Also, thank you for sharing this with me, I know it’s not easy the first time. You’ll see that step by step you’ll feel more and more comfortable saying it._

_And, hey, if you ever feel like going to a gay bar, you already have my number, I never say no to partying._

And that feels good too. To have someone else’s acceptance. Maybe he can grow used to it. It makes him feel happy and light, like he could fly towards Brooklyn and hug Bucky. But obviously, he can’t, so he puts that thought away for another time. And thinks that maybe, one day, he’d like to meet Bucky and hug him for real.

_Thank you, Bucky. It means a lot._

_Anytime, Steve. I’m going to go to sleep now, but I’ll text you tomorrow._

_If that’s fine with you of course._

Please yes, Steve wants to say, text me tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that…

_Definitely. Good night._

_Good night. :)_

The morning after, Steve wakes up early, around 5.30, as always; goes on his run and comes back to the compound to train with the other avengers. They finish by 9.45, so he goes back to his room to have a shower. He walks out of the bathroom and takes his phone, which is on the night desk, where he put it after his conversation with Bucky, right on top of his laptop. He checks it, to see if Bucky texted him, and is content when he sees he had.

There are two messages from the guy, one of them, an image. He opens the app to check them out. The image is a snap of a white cat looking at the camera, with big blue eyes and its head tilted. It’s on top of someone’s – Bucky’s – lap. Below the image, a short message.

_How am I supposed to study like this? :(_

Steve smiles, looking at the picture again. He closes the image to type a quick message.

_I don’t know, but I’d love to be you right now._

He puts his phone on the pocket of his shorts, and leaves his room to walk to the kitchen. He had had breakfast after his run, but with his fast metabolism and the training, he is ready to have a second one. When he arrives there, he sees Natasha having a cup of coffee while she checks a tablet. He greets her, and she nods at him. Walking to the fridge, he feels her gaze on his nape. He opens the fridge door and starts rummaging, looking for something quick to eat, when his phone pings again. He takes it from his pocket and checks the new message.

_I’m pretty sure whatever you’re doing right now is much more interesting than what I’m doing. Even if Alpine is here._

_Well, if you need to know, I’m having breakfast. Second breakfast, actually, but anyway._

_And what exactly are you doing?_

He looks inside the fridge again before deciding to take a few pieces of fruit and taking them to the table. He sits beside Natasha, who’s looking down at her tablet again, ignoring him, or at least, pretending that she is. His phone pings again.

_Second? What happened to the first? And I’m working on my thesis._

_Burned it already. What’s it about?_

_Damn, man. What did you do?_

_The Howling Commandos. My grandpa was short of tight with them back in the war, so I decided to honor him? I don’t know, he always talked to me about them, specially good ol’ Cap. When he came back, one year before he died, he was so excited. I wish he had seen him one last time._

_Sorry, I ranted again. I swear I try not to._

Steve frowns at the message. If Bucky’s doing a thesis on the Howling Commandos, that means he’s doing a thesis about him. And if his grand father was “sort of tight” with them, then he had to have known him. He types again, biting down on his apple.

_It’s okay, you can rant._

_And I’m sorry about your grand father. What was his name?_

_James Barnes. I was named after him – Bucky is short for my middle name. Why?_

An image of a tall guy, eyes blue like the sky and dark hair slicked back, with his chest always on display unless they were on the battlefield, crosses his mind. He remembers looking at James Barnesfrom the 107th and thinking he was one of the most beautiful guys he had ever seen. He wonders if Bucky looks like him at all. He’s relieved to know that he survived war, got married and had kids. Then he chuckles, thinking about how much life must have turned for his grandson to be his number neighbor. Now he knew he had to play his cards right, or he would blow his cover.

_Just wondering if I had read about him. Was he on the 107 th?_

_Don’t think so._

_Yeah, he was on the 107 th, but after the whole Azzano thing they started to do more solo things, you know. And then war was over and all of them took different paths._

Steve bites down on his lower lip. He wished he had known James was still alive, that he could’ve seen him before he died. And maybe that way, he could’ve met Bucky before…

_I’d guess. Have you been to the Smithsonian? They have a lot of information there._

_Only 3984 times. But I’ll probably go 300 more before I finish._

_I should actually keep working. I need to finish this part today or else all my schedule will go to shit. I’ll text you when I’m finished?_

Steve sighs. God, he wished he could talk to Bucky all day. It’s become his favorite activity, even though it’s only been five days, and two of them have been radio silence.

_Okay. Talk to you later, Bucky. Good luck._

_Thank you. I’ll need it :(_

He puts his phone down on the table, and lifts his gaze, only to be met with Natasha’s raised eyebrow.

“What?” he says.

“Who is that?” she asks.

He shrugs. “A friend.” He picks another apple and bites on it, trying to wave the conversation away.

“You don’t have friends outside the team.” she points out. And okay, maybe she’s right, but that doesn’t mean Steve wants to share Bucky with her. Bucky is his secret, and he wants to keep it like that for as long as he can.

“Maybe that’s what you think. You’re not the only one with secrets, Romanoff.” he deadpans, and she raises her eyebrows again. Then, she hums, and looks back to her tablet. Steve finishes his fruit and leaves the kitchen, clutching his phone on his right hand.

On the evening, when Steve is taking a bath, trying to relax, the music on his phone is interrupted by a ping. He dries his hand on the towel beside him, and reads Bucky’s message.

_I hate this thesis._

He chuckles, unlocking his phone to reply.

_Did you reach today’s goal?_

_Yes. But I almost died on the process._

_It couldn’t have been that bad._

_Oh, but it was._

_Sure, Bucky. I’ll believe you._

_Thank you. Now, offer me an idea to relax._

Steve bites his lip, and looks down to his body, wet and full of soap. He looks at his phone and nods. Opening the camera app, he takes a snap of the bath, making sure nothing too intimate can be seen. Everything is hidden by the bubbles, minus his feet, hanging from the end of the tub, since his legs are too long to fit inside it.

He sends it to Bucky and waits for the answer.

A whooshing sound makes him look at the screen again.

_Did you just send me a half nude?_

Steve could feel his cheeks heat. This was definitely not the answer he was hoping for.

_No! I was just offering you an idea to relax._

_Although, what if I did?_

Okay, this wasn’t much better. Why the hell had he sent that?

_Actually, I wasn’t complaining._

_Maybe you’re right. I’ll take a bath too._

_Is it too weird if I keep texting you while I do so?_

‘Hm’ Steve thinks. ‘Is it too weird for two guys who tend to have feelings for other guys, but have never met in person or even seen each other, to text while they’re totally naked and wet? Both of them knowing?’

_Not really. I usually get bored of these too quickly, don’t even have time to relax. It could be fun._

_Okay. I’m on the bathroom now. I’m waiting for it to fill. What are you doing?_

_Nothing really. Listening to music._

_Oh, tell me about it. You can learn a lot about a person based on the music they listen to._

Steve snorts. Bucky is a nerd.

_I thought your PhD was in History, not Psychology._

_And Queen. I’m a big fan._

_Ah, so you like classics, huh? What’s your favorite song of theirs?_

_And no, I’m still in History, I read that thing in a Cosmopolitan article. Don’t blame me, I live with my little sister._

_Who is actually majoring in Psychology, btw._

Steve chuckles before replying. Of course. Cosmopolitan.

_Don’t stop me now, probably. Do you like them?_

_I didn’t know you had a sister. Or that you lived with her._

_Yeah. Who doesn’t like Queen? They’re historic._

_And yeah, her name’s Becca. She’s a senior in NYU. That’s why._

_Ah, makes sense. Apartments in New York aren’t really cheap._

Steve remembers his search around New York for a decent apartment in Brooklyn, back in 2015, after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell and he left DC. It had been annoying, and he ended up staying in the Tower, and then, the compound.

_Tell me about it._

_Is that why you live upstate, with no neighbors?_

_Mainly. But I have roommates too._

Well, that’s a lie. The Avengers aren’t really his roommates, but they live together, so it’s kind of the same thing.

And Tony is their landlord, obviously.

_Oh, so moving there on my own once I graduate is not an option?_

_Not really. Sorry to destroy your dreams, buddy._

_It’s okay, I can always move back to Indiana._

_Ugh, I shivered only by thinking about it, and I’m surrounded by burning water._

Steve chuckles, and tries not to think about Bucky’s body covered in water, wet and glistening.

He fails.

_You don’t want to go back to Indiana?_

_Not really. I like NY much better._

_I mean, my family is there and I like to visit them, but New York is just…_

_I don’t know, I really like it._

_Yeah, I miss the big city sometimes too._

That one is not a lie. He does miss New York. He wants to go back sometimes, even if stepping out the Tower meant being followed by paparazzi and blinded by flashes. It was where he grew up. It was home.

_Hey, do you come by often? If you do, we could meet one day!_

Steve thinks about meeting Bucky. He would love to, he’s sure of it. But maybe his being Captain America and not telling him would most probably ruin whatever is going on between them. Steve still doesn’t know if they’re just strangers texting or they’re friends. Does he consider Bucky a friend? And most importantly, does Bucky consider him one?

_I go sometimes for work related stuff, but it’s usually just for a few hours._

_But yeah. We could meet one day._

_That’s great. I really like you._

_I mean, you’re really nice._

Steve flushes a little and he smiles. Bucky thinks he’s nice.

_Thanks. You are too._

_Fuck, Alpine is trying to get in the bathtub. I’ll be back._

When Bucky comes back, they keep texting about trivial things for another hour, until Steve decides he’s too wrinkled to stay in the water anymore, and he bids him adieu and walks outside the bathroom. There, sitting on his bed with his laptop between her legs is Natasha, again.

“Hey.” she says, not looking up at him.

Steve thanks the gods he’s wearing clothes, because he definitely doesn’t want Natasha to see him naked. Again.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” he asks, and throws the used towels to the dirty clothes basket.

“Can I sleep with you today?” she asks. Steve smiles softly, and walks towards her to hug her.

Steve and Nat are best friends. Everybody knows that. They’ve been through too much together to not be. What most people don’t know, though, is that sometimes, Natasha still has nightmares about her past in the Red Room, and Steve, sometimes, has nightmares about the Valkyrie, about going down and freezing again.

So, sometimes, they sleep together. Nothing sexual, not really, they don’t see each other that way. But there’s something about the warmness of Steve’s body around hers that calms Natasha down, and there’s something about the way Natasha’s body clings to his that helps Steve sleep.

They’re best friends, and they look after each other.

Steve looks down at her friend, and nods. Then, he kisses her forehead.

“Let’s go to sleep.” he mutters, and they get inside the bed.

When Natasha puts her head on his chest, and Steve puts his arm around her body, he knows. They’re best friends, they look after each other. So he decides she should know.

“Nat?” he whispers. She doesn’t reply, but Steve knows she’s listening. She always is. “I’m bisexual.” it comes out weakly, quieter than a whisper, but he knows she catches it.

She looks up at him, and kisses his cheek. “I know.” she mutters. “But thank you for telling me.” And puts her head on his chest again. It’s only a few minutes later that she falls asleep, and listening to her steady breath, Steve smiles. 


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a bit shorter, but oh well. hope you enjoy!

Bucky and him fall into a routine. They text each other good morning as soon as they wake up, and they text each other good night right before they go to bed. In the middle of those, they text each other when they can. Steve, who had thought that with his job, he was going to be the one to text less, finds himself surprised when Bucky tells him that, along with going to class everyday and working on his thesis, he also has a part time job in a bookshop on his block, so he ends up not having a lot of time for himself. Still, they always find time to text each other.

Three weeks after they’ve been texting, Natasha corners him. Literally, she pushes him into a corner, and it’s not that Steve is not strong enough to not let himself be pushed, it’s just that he knows better.

“You have something to tell me.” she says, practically demanding. Steve sighs, because she’s right. They’re not supposed to have secrets between them, and to be honest, he wants to tell someone about Bucky, because the guy really, really, makes him happy. So he takes her hand and drags him to his bedroom, and then they sit on the bed.

Nat crosses her legs, sitting with her back straight on the bed, and Steve sits beside her, looking at her. She’s raising her eyebrows, waiting for him to say something. He bites down on his lip, not knowing what to.

“Okay.” he starts. “You know about the number neighbor thing?”

“Of course.” she rolls her eyes. “Unlike some of my friends, I do keep up with the internet.”

“Oh, well. Uhm. Mine texted me like three weeks ago or so. He’s this guy, his name is Bucky, and we’ve been texting ever since…”

“And you like him?” Nat finishes for him. Steve blushes a little, looking down at his lap.

“I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never actually seen him or anything…” he mutters.

“You don’t need to see him to know you like him. It makes it even more romantic, knowing that you like him regardless of how he looks.” she says. “Does he know who you are?”  
“No. I didn’t tell him my full name. And I didn’t send him any pics where you could see my face.” Natasha’s eyebrows wiggle suggestively. “No! I didn’t send him nude pictures, Nat, goodness sake.”

“Don’t call them nude pics, Steve. They’re just nudes. Let’s say I believe you. Do you want to meet him?”

“Yeah, I guess I do. Someday, not… not now. Even is it’s as just friends.”  
“Aw, Stevie. You’ve got a crush.” Nat teases, punching his bicep lightly. Steve blushes again, looking down to his lap and smiling. “Have you only texted?”

“Uh, yeah. We haven’t… called or anything.”  
“Well, you should. Maybe he can’t put a face on you just yet, but a voice is just as nice. And you know, phone sex is really hot.”

“Natasha!” Nat giggles, and moves closer to hug her friend.

“I’m joking. Try to call him soon, and tell me how it goes, yeah?”

Steve nods, and kisses her cheek. Nat stands up and looks at him before she leaves.

“Keep me updated. And I mean it.”

She finally leaves the room and the man leans down on his bed. Yeah.

A call might be a great idea.

Later that night, when Bucky texts him, he bites down on his lip until it bleeds.

“ _God, I’ve had the worst day ever.”_

“ _Wanna talk about it?”_

“ _Yes please.”_

Steve takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes, before typing.

“ _Can I call you?”_

The typing bubble on Bucky’s side disappears for a second, and Steve’s heart falls, thinking he has lost every chance he ever had – if he ever had any at all, when his screen changes to an incoming call. From Bucky. He lets out a little squeak, and almost drops his phone. He takes another deep breath and picks the call up.

“Hello?” he whispers.

“Hey, Steve.” he hears. He almost gasps, but calms down before he embarrasses himself. Bucky’s voice is just… so beautiful. It’s soft like silk, but raspy, and it makes Steve’s insides twist. He wants to bite down on his fist until his nerves disappear, but he knows he needs to answer before it’s too weird.

“So. What happened today?” he asks.

He hears Bucky groan, and decides he likes the sound. In other circumstances, too, he knew he’d love it.

“ _Everything_ happened today.” Bucky starts, emphasizing the first word. “My alarm didn’t go off, so I was late to class, and you remember this professor I told you is a pain in the ass and I’m pretty sure hates me?” Steve hums. “It was his class, and he embarrassed me in front of my classmates, and I swear to God, I can’t wait until I graduate to tell him to go fuck himself.” Steve’s insides twist again, listening to Bucky swear. God, he has to get a grip. “After classes finished, I was supposed to have lunch with this guy, and, Steve? He was so hot. So hot. Almost burning. And he canceled on me.”

“Is that the same guy who canceled on you last week?” he asks. Bucky has a very vivid dating/sex life, and Steve might or not might be a little jealous. Not because of Bucky, of course. He just doesn’t remember when his last date was.

“Yes! I don’t understand him. I mean, if he isn’t interested, just… Why does he keep offering me rain checks? Anyway, next time, I’m just gonna say no. Fuck him. And then, I got home, and Becca had forgotten something on the oven and the kitchen almost burnt down, but hey, at least I could see sexy firefighters, right? But honest to God, when she comes home tomorrow, I’m going to kick her ass. That little brat. Speaking of brats, Alpine took a shit on my favorite shoes. Why do I bother buying litters? He’s going to go wherever he wants, so why do I care?”

“Wow. You had a busy day, huh?” Steve says, not knowing what else to say.

“Yeah.” Bucky sighs. “I guess it’s just one of those bad days. Anyway, I’m in bed now, and Alpine is on my chest, and it’s really hard to be mad at him.” Steve chuckles, and imagines Bucky with the little cat on his chest right there, beside him, on bed. He likes the image. “How about you? How was your day?”

“It was… pretty normal. You know, work and stuff. Nothing special.” he shrugs, even though he knows Bucky can’t see him. But the sentiment is there.

“I see. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you want to call me? I’m not complaining, I just… wasn’t expecting it? I guess.” Steve blushes a little. He has to clear his throat before he answers.

“Oh. Uh, I was just curious. I wanted to know what your voice sounded like.” he says. It is true, even if he hadn’t think of it until Natasha had mentioned it.

“And… what do you think now?” Bucky says, and Steve can almost sense a little bit of a flirty tone on his voice.

“I like it. You have a beautiful voice, Bucky.” he hears a chuckle, and blushes even more. Maybe he went too far?

“Thanks, Steve. You too, by the way. It’s… calming.”

“Calming?” Steve asks. He has heard a lot of things about him and his attributes, but his voice being calming wasn’t one of them.

“Yeah, I mean. I was pretty stressed when we started this call and now… Now I’m not.”

“Oh. And are you sure that has nothing to do with Alpine?”

Bucky laughs, and Steve imagines him doing it while he scratches Alpine’s head, between his ears.

“Well, maybe it’s both of you.” he says. Steve smiles.

“Then, I’m glad I could help.”

Bucky makes a noncommittal sound, and Steve doesn’t know what else to say, but then Bucky starts talking again.  
“Becca has a boyfriend.” he says, out of the blue.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and she doesn’t want me to meet him. She thinks I’m gonna scare him away or something.”

“You’re that intimidating?” Steve asks.

“When I want to. Not everyone is good enough for Becca.”

“No? Who is good enough for her?”

“Hm… Captain America, maybe.” Steve almost chokes on his own saliva. What the hell? “But I called dibs on him when we were kids, so. No one.” Okay, now Steve is about to pee himself. Bucky had a crush on him when he was a kid? “Steve? You still there?”  
“Y-yeah, I was just… not expecting that answer.”  
“Oh. Don’t tell me you’re a Thor fucker.” Steve’s eyes almost come out of his orbits. What. The. Hell?

“Well. I haven’t had the pleasure, so…”

“Okay, now I need to ask you a question so I know what kind of person you are.” Bucky says, and he sounds serious, so Steve gets a little awkward.

“Shoot.” he deadpans.

“Who’s the hottest Avenger?”

“What?” Steve almost laughs. He had gotten so worried, and for what?

“You heard me. If all of them offered you to fuck, and you could only choose one, who would you choose?” Steve shakes his head. They’re talking about his friends. Whatever should he do?

“I don’t know. I guess Thor, or, maybe, uh, Falcon?”

And then he makes a little wish and hopes, if this goes the direction he wants it to go, when Bucky meets his friends, he’ll never tell. Or else he would have to kill him, and then, himself.

“Huh. That’s cool. Yeah, I’d go for Falcon too.”

“Not Cap?”

Bucky laughs.

“Captain America doesn’t look like he wants his dick inside any guy’s ass. Or vice versa.”

 _Oh, Bucky_ ; he wants to say, _if you only knew._

“He doesn’t?” he asks. Because, actually, he didn’t think he was that good at hiding it.

“Not really. Although he does look like he has a stick up it.”

Oh, my God.

“You have a strong opinion on the guy, huh?”

“I’m making a thesis about him, Steve. Of course I have a strong opinion on him.”

“Right. I forgot about that. When’s it due?”

“Like a month and a half? I think so, yeah. I’m actually finished, just have to add a bit touches, check some sources, add pictures, things like that. And make sure everything makes sense, because I typed 80% of that at 4AM.”

“You really do have a healthy lifestyle.”

“Thanks, it’s my pride.” Steve chuckles, and Bucky does the same. Then he speaks again. “Hey, I’m really tired, and I guess you must be too after spending the day being a spy and that stuff. I’m gonna go to sleep. Thanks for this.”

“It was nothing. I really wanted to talk to you.” Steve says, sincerely.

“Maybe sometime soon we can switch to FaceTime? Actually see our faces and all that jazz.” Bucky suggests. Steve wants to. He wants to know what Bucky looks like, see his gestures when they talk. But he’s not sure Bucky will still want to keep talking to him once he knows he’s been lying to him.

“We could.” Steve finally says. “In the meantime… Can I call you tomorrow?”

“Sure. I’ll let you know.”

“Goodnight, Bucky.”

“Goodnight, Steve.”

Steve ends up not calling the following day. Not because he didn’t want to, God knows how much he was expecting the following night as soon as he hung up, but because after lunch, the Avengers were called in to take care of an emergency in Peru.

Another mad scientist that had gone too far and made something they couldn’t control, searching for revenge. Steve was getting tired of scientists.

In the end, it took them two days to beat the creature, capture the scientist, and make sure nothing was going to backfire. Steve stayed one extra day with Tony to discuss with the Government how they could help repair everything they had destroyed in the way.

They were going back to the US on the Quinjet, and after Steve changes clothes, he reaches for his phone on the back pocket of his jeans, only to feel it empty, he realized he had left it back in the compound.

Fuck.

He wonders if Bucky had texted him, if he was worried about him. Maybe he thought he was ignoring him. God, did he want to get home.

“You okay, Cap?” he hears Tony. He looks up to him.

“Yeah, yeah. I just… I want to go home and rest.”

Tony chuckles, nodding. “Yeah, makes two of us. But, Cap, we’ve known each other for a long time now. You have that frown you usually reserve for when I say offensive shit. And I don’t think I said anything… wait, did I? No, or we would be in another war now. So, what’s bothering you?

“No, it’s just.” he sighs. “I need to make a call. Like, really need to.”

“A call? Like, a bad call? You’re not sick, are you? Wait. Can you get sick?”

“No, I’m not sick. And no, it’s not a bad call. I think. I’m not sure how the other part is gonna take it.”

“The other… what do you mean the other part? Cap, are you talking about a girl?” Tony asks, his eyebrow raised.

“No.” Steve says. Then he adds. “Not a girl.”

He hopes Tony gets it. But he’s Tony, he’s one of the smartest people Steve knows, and he’s pretty sure he’ll get it. And that he’ll be okay with it. He knows Tony, and he’s pretty much okay with almost anything that doesn’t involve him, but they had never actually talked about something like this. Steve and Tony’s relationship is weird. They get along, sometimes, but they’re not close friends, although Steve basically lives in his house. Still, Steve knows he could count on Tony for anything, and he’s pretty sure Tony knows he can count on him too. He looks at him, expectantly, and Tony raises his eyebrows stay raised.

“Are you gonna keep talking or do I have to make up the rest of it? Are you sure you want me to do that? You know I’m bad at keeping my mouth shut.” Tony asks.

“His name is Bucky.” Tony frowns. Steve shrugs. Yeah, he doesn’t know either. “We met through the internet and we had… scheduled, you could say, a call for the day we left, but… you know. And now I’m worried, maybe he thinks I’m ignoring him or…”

“Wait,” Tony interrupts. “the internet? Cap, are you on Tinder? Wait. No. Grindr?”  
Steve rolls his eyes and sighs. “I don’t even know what that is. And no, he texted me. We’re number neighbors or… whatever.”

“That’s definitely my definition of meet-cute. Does he know who you are?”

“No. All he knows is my name’s Steve and I live upstate. He thinks I work in CIA.”

“CIA?” Tony laughs. “Why?”

“I told him I worked in security and it was confidential. He has a strong imagination.”

“Huh. Have you seen him?” Steve shakes his head.

“No. But I’ve seen his body.” Tony raises his eyebrows. “Not like that! He had a date and he sent me some outfits.”

“So you haven’t seen his face?”

“No.”

“Has he seen yours?”

Steve raises his eyebrows. “What do you think?”

“Okay, you’re right. Stupid question. Do you like him?”

“I don’t know, Tony. I like talking to him.”

“And when you’re not, do you think about him?”  
“Sometimes.”

Tony nods, and smiles. “Well, if you need dating advice… You shouldn’t ask me. Nobody even knows how Pepper and I are still a thing. If you need flirting advice, though… First, lose the khakis, then come talk to me.”

Finally, they reach the compound. After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Steve picks his phone. He goes straight to open his conversation with Bucky, and sees that he had received a bunch of messages from him.

_Help, my cat is trying to eat me alive :(_

_Hey, just FYI. He didn’t actually eat me alive._

_Okay, so you’re busy. Text me when you can!_

_Steve? It’s been 8h…_

_Hey, just checking in. You there?_

_So it’s been a day. I don’t know if you’re ignoring me but… Be safe, please._

_I’m sorry if I did something wrong. I actually liked talking to you._

Steve takes a deep sigh and rubs his eyes. God, he fucked up. He picks his phone up again and starts typing and deleting. What are you supposed to say to someone you might like when he thinks you’ve been ignoring them for two days?

_Bucky?_

He wants to punch himself. He is Captain America, the greatest strategic mind of the 20th century, and all he can think of is… saying his name.

Thankfully, the answer comes almost immediately.

_Oh my God, Steve._

_You’re alive!!_

_What was all that about?_

_I’m so sorry, really. I had a last minute work thing and I left my phone behind accidentally._

_I didn’t mean to scare you._

_It’s okay, now. As long as you’re safe._

Steve smiles a little, and something warm installs on his chest.

_Yeah, I am._

_Bucky. Can I call you now?_

_Yes. Sure._

He presses down on the screen and only has to wait the one tone until he can hear Bucky’s voice.

“Hey” he says. Steve bits down on his lips, and answers.

“Hello.” he mutters.

“Wow. Only one word and you already sound tired as fuck.” Bucky says, and Steve lets out a chuckle.

“Yeah, well. I haven’t really slept in around 45 hours, so…” he says, running his fingers through his still wet hair.

“Don’t you rather go to sleep?” Bucky asks.

“Not really. Plus, I promised I’d call you.”

“And you have. You can rest now, if you’d like.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been doing these past days?”

“Well, you know. Thesis, cat, sister, class… I’ve been rotating through those things. My life isn’t as interesting as yours, Mr CIA.”

“Why are you so sure I’m on the CIA? It might be something much more secret. So secret you don’t even know the name.”

Bucky chuckles. “Yeah, you’re probably an alien from Area 51. Tell me, is your penis a tentacle?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” Steve says, and almost instantly regrets it. Okay, it’s official now. He _is_ tired.

Bucky chuckles again, and Steve smiles.

“I missed you.” Bucky says, and Steve’s stomach twists.

“Really?” he asks.

“Yeah. Right now, you’re the person I talk to the most. So. It was weird. Lonely.”

“How about your sister?” he asks.  
“God. Her fucking boyfriend is keeping her all to himself. I feel like I haven’t seen her in weeks.”  
“They’re kids in love, Buck. Let them be.”

“Yeah… I wish I remembered what that was like. My last relationship was like three years ago.”

“Mine was like a lifetime ago. I win.”

“How long exactly?” Bucky asks. Steve panics.

“Uh, it was while I was in the Army. And I’ve been doing this job for around seven years, so it was a long time ago.”

“You were Army, huh? Me too.” Steve’s eyebrows raise.

“Yeah? What did you do there?”

“Confidential. You’re not the only Government guinea pig, buddy.” Bucky says, letting a small laugh out. Steve frowns.

“Did they experiment on you?” he asks.

“No, God. No. But it’s confidential either way. I’m sorry.”

“Uh, it’s okay. I respect the Government decisions.”

“As you should.”

They fall into a silence. Steve closes his eyes, focusing on Bucky’s breath. He wonders if he’s doing the same on his end of the line. Then, he hears a soft meow and smiles.

“Is that Alpine?”

“Yeah. I’m in bed and he wants cuddles.”

“That’s cute. I think I should hang up. I’m probably going to sleep for twelve hours.”

“Yeah. I’d do that too, if I could. We’ll talk tomorrow, right?”

“If I wake up.”

Bucky chuckles. “Good. Good night, Steve.”  
“Good night, Buck.”

He hangs up and puts the phone on his chest, and his hands behind his head. He sighs. Then his phone pings. He picks it up and sees a notification from Bucky. It’s a picture of Alpine and on the bottom it says “He wanted to say good night too.”

He smiles and replies with a heart emoji. Then, he turns his phone off and rolls to his side to sleep.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a tiny bit angsty, but it contains what we all wanted: a reunion!!!!!  
> and just fyi, we're more less halfway through now :)

It isn’t until they’ve known each other for a month, that Steve finally sees Bucky’s face.

He’s cooking dinner for him and Nat when his phone pings. He takes it to check the notification, and unlocks it when he sees it’s Bucky.

He’s welcomed by a selfie of Bucky, looking at the camera as he pouts.

_I hate Captain America._

The message reads. Steve snorts, and replies quickly.

_Poor guy. Whatever did he do to you?_

Then, he opens the photo again. Bucky has blue eyes, but it’s a different shade from his own. While Steve has always been told his eyes look like the ocean, even more with the little green on the middle of them, Bucky’s look like ice, looking closer to a gray shade. They’re cold, even with the bags under them. He has a sharp nose, too, and his lips are perfectly defined and full, a beautiful Cupid’s bow on the top. He has a beard covering half of his face, but even under it, Steve can see the line of his jaw. His hair falls on his face, curling around it. He’s gorgeous.

_Why can’t he talk about his life?_

_There are hundreds of different theories of so many simple things that he never bothered to clear up!_

_Like, ugh. Man. Wish I could have a cup of coffee with him._

Steve’s eyebrows raise. Bucky just said he’d want to have a coffee date with him. Well, damn.

_That would probably be great, wouldn’t it?_

_Yeah._

_Hey, don’t you work for the Government? Pull some strings, get me a date with him! I could probably make him switch teams._

The blonde laughs. As if he needed to be pushed.

_I don’t have that much clearance, Buck. Sorry._

_Worth the try, though._

_Anyway, I should go back to the thesis. I’ll call you tonight._

_Okay. Good luck!_

“Was that him?” Nat asks. Steve nods, putting his phone face down on the table and taking the two dishes of food for them to eat. His is considerably bigger than Nat’s, obviously.

After a few minutes, Steve looks up from his plate to his friend. “I think I want to meet him.”

Natasha smiles, dropping the floor and crossing her hands under her chin. “You think?”

“Yes. I think he wants to meet me, too. I’m sure he wants to meet Captain America. He just told me so.”

Natasha bites down on her lip and smiles. “Maybe we can arrange a little trip to New York. I’ll talk to Tony.”

Steve nods, and continues eating. In the bottom of his stomach, he feels something warm and nice. He decides not to think about it too hard.

Two days later, Steve walks back into his room from a training session with Sam to find Natasha on his bed, with her feet against the wall and scrolling through her phone.

“Feet. Off. The Wall. Now.” he says. Nat rolls her eyes, but she obeys.

“I talked to Tony. He’s okay with us taking one of the Quinjets and flying to New York as long as we don’t crash it. Also he said we can stay at one of his hotels.”

“Great. When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow. Want me to pack your bags?” Steve blushes. He wants to say no, but he also wants to say yes. Nat has a talent for packing bags. She always knows what to take and what to not. Steve, on the other hand, always panics and ends up taking everything he can fit, and leaving back things he actually needs. Plus, she has a better eye for fashion than he does. Anyone is better at that than him, to be honest.

“Okay.” he mutters, and she smiles, standing up to walk to his wardrobe and take the clothes.

Meanwhile, Steve reaches for his phone, and sends a quick message.

_Are you free this weekend?_

Ten minutes later, his phone pings. He takes it, and sees Bucky’s text.

_I could be. Why?_

_I’m going to NY with a friend._

_Would you like to meet up?_

As soon as his finger presses the send button, he starts to freak out. What if Bucky actually doesn’t want to meet up with him? What if he’s just a distraction for him? He obviously has a lot of friends who care for him, why would he ever want to meet him? And he also has his thesis, who he needs to work on, and his classes, and work, or maybe he just doesn’t want to lose time with him.

He sees Bucky type, the bubbles appearing on his screen for a second, and suddenly they disappear. But no text arrives. Steve starts to lose his mind. Okay, that was it. He ruined it. He definitely killed any chance he ever had with Bucky.

Being Bucky’s friend.

Whatever.

Then, his phone starts to ring. It’s him.

“It’s him!” he shouts, to an uncaring Natasha, who is too focused on folding his clothes.

He picks it up, and clears his throat, trying to sound chill.

“Hey.” he says.

“What do you mean you’re coming to New York?” Bucky’s voice almost yells on his ear.

“Oh, uh. My friend wanted to go? So I’m accompanying her.” Steve says, playing with the hem of his shirt. Why does he feel so guilty?

“When?” Bucky’s voice sounds demanding. The warm feeling on Steve’s stomach comes back.

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Where are you staying?”   
“Oh, a friends of our’s.” Well, it’s not a lie. The Waldorf-Astoria is Tony’s place, technically.  
“Oh my God, Steve. You should’ve told me earlier! I’ll have to reschedule and shit but. Oh, my God.” Steve smiles a little, understanding the feelings behind Bucky’s words. He’s excited, too.

“Wait, does that mean you actually want to meet with me?”  
“Dude, are you kidding me? Of course I want to meet you! You and Becs are the only ones who have been putting up with my shit for the last month. And I still don’t know what you look like. You can’t evade me if you’re right in front of me.” Well, Steve had not thought of that. That was a problem for the future. Now, he chuckles, looking down to his feet.

“That’s… great, Buck. I thought maybe you…”  
“Yeah, you should stop thinking, really. Anyway, Stevie. When are you arriving?”   
“Uh, after lunch?” Steve wonders, looking at Nat. She nods. “After lunch.”  
“Oh, so we can have dinner. Bring your friend, I’ll bring Becca. So it’s not that awkward.”  
“Uhm, okay. Yeah, I think she’ll like that. Good.” he looks at Nat again, and she tilts her head. He shakes his.

“Okay, Steve. I need to leave now. I’ll have to work more today if I want my weekend to be free. Take care and update me, okay?” Steve frowns at that.

“I will. Take care, Buck. Don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t. See you tomorrow, Stevie.” the blond smiles, widely, and bites his lip to stop himself from giggling in front of Natasha.  
“See you tomorrow.” Bucky hangs up, and Steve can’t stop smiling. He sits back in the bed, looking down to Bucky’s contact on his phone.   
“You’re so lovesick, it stinks.” Nat says from her corner, where she’s already closing the suitcase. “I picked the hottest outfits you have, so not complaining, okay? I only got you one pair of sweats and they’re for the journey.”

“What about my morning runs?”

“If everything goes right, your morning exercises won’t be running, sweetheart.” she says, crossing her arms on her chest and winking down at him.

“Natasha!” he throws a cushion at her as he blushes, but she catches it while it’s still on the air and throws it back.

“Go to sleep, Cap. You need beauty rest if you want to make that guy fall in love with you.”

They arrive in New York by 5PM. They park the Quinjet on the Waldorf’s heliport. As soon as they get in their room, Steve texts Bucky.

_I’m in New York!_

He bites down on his lower lip. Would Bucky be as excited as him?

_OMG._

_Okay._

_When can we meet._

He lets out a small giggle and almost feels Natasha rolling her eyes.

_How about 7pm? Send me your address and we’ll pick you up._

_You’ll pick us up? Did you bring a car in your suitcase or…_

_We’ll borrow one from my friend. The one whose place we’re staying in, you know._

_That friend of yours sound like a good pal, dude. Lending their house and car… Couldn’t be me._

Yeah, well. It0s not like everyone can match Tony Stark. Not even the best guy Steve’s ever met. Or not met. Yet.

_Yeah, well. He’s a real good friend._

_So, where should we pick you up?_

_Uhm. How about we meet there?_

_I was actually thinking on going to a restaurant that is like, five minutes away from my apartment, so._

Steve’s heart drops a little. Not picking them up means a little less time together than initially thought.

_Oh._

_Yeah, okay then._

_Send me that address and we’ll meet there at 7?_

_Yeah. It’s on the 14 th Street, it’s an Asian restaurant. _

_Oh, nice! I like Asian._

_So you live in 14 th Street? In Park Slope?_

_Park Slope, but not 14 th. _

_You’re pretty eager to know my address ;)_

_I’m just curious._

_Who knows, maybe if you play your cards good you’ll get to see it in real life._

Steve is pretty sure he blushes reading that message. Before he can answer, another text from Bucky arrives.

_Anyway, I need to call Becs and get ready, so._

_See you later, Stevie._

He sighs and let’s his phone drop on his lap. He looks to Natasha, who’s laying on the bed opposite to the one he’s sitting in, and asks.

“So, which outfit should I wear today?” Natasha looks at him and smiles.

It’s 7pm, and Bucky hasn’t appeared. Steve fidgets in his seat, looking back to the door every few seconds. Natasha is checking the menu instead.

“What if he got lost?” Steve says. Natasha hums without looking up. “What if he got on an accident and is now on his way to the hospital?” Nat hums again. “What if…” He’s interrupted by his own phone, and he quickly picks it up. “Hello?”  
“Hey, Steve. So, uh. I don’t know what you look like, so I’m… We’re at the door and we… Are you already here?”  
“Yes! We’re in a table at the end. I’m blond, wearing a blue shirt. My friend’s a redhead in all black.”

“Oh. Okay. We’ll be right there.”   
“Okay. Okay. Great.”

He hangs up and looks at Natasha, who is smiling, still looking at the menu. “Hospital, huh?”  
“Shut up.” he whispers, looking down at the table.

It takes them a few minutes, but suddenly, two people get near the table. Steve looks up, and when his eyes meet Bucky’s, he knows he has fucked up.

Bucky’s eyes are open in surprise, his chin hanging, and the jacket he had in his hand has dropped to the ground. The girl beside him, Becca – who looks exactly like him, only thinner and with longer hair, has the same expression. Steve stands up and offers Bucky a hand.

“Uh, hi, Buck.” he manages to say, but it comes out so softly he doubts anyone has actually heard him.

Bucky doesn’t answer. He doesn’t move. He stays there, looking at Steve, for a whole other minute.

Then, he looks at Becca, then Natasha, and Steve again, and shakes his head.

“I need a minute.” he says, and leaves.

Steve looks at Natasha, who opens her eyes widely and motions him to go follow Bucky, and then obliges.

By the time Steve reaches him, Bucky is already outside the restaurant, standing against the wall with his head back and his eyes closed.

“Bucky.” Steve says, reaching an arm towards him. Bucky shakes his head again.

“So. CIA, huh?” he says, not opening his eyes.

“I… never said I worked there. You assumed.” Steve tilts his head. Bucky looks at him, arching an eyebrow.

“But you didn’t deny it! And… You’re… you! All this time! You could’ve… Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I didn’t know you! Look, I know this may sound… unfair, but I didn’t know you, didn’t know what kind of person you were, and I… you could’ve been trying to catfish me, or you could have been a threat, an enemy, or… I don’t know. I wanted to meet you in person first. That’s why I came here in the first place!”  
“God. I’m so stupid. Of course. You gave me all those signals and I… fuck!” he kicked the wall, and Steve took a step towards him.   
“Buck!”

“Stop. Don’t… call me that.” he sighed. “Oh my God. I told you I used to have a crush on you!”

“And I was flattered!”

“Oh my God.” Bucky repeats, hiding his face in his hands.

“Bucky, I’m so, so sorry, really. I know I should’ve said something sooner, but put yourself on my shoes, please. Would you have?” Bucky sighs again, looking down at his feet. After a while, he replies.  
“I guess… you’re right.”  
“And if it’s any compensation, I’m here until Sunday. If you want to meet up again and ask me anything for your thesis, I will gladly help.”

“I will… I’ll have to discuss it with my pillow. Let’s have dinner for now.” he says, and walks back inside the restaurant.

Steve follows him back to their table, where they find Becca sitting in front of Natasha, asking her a bunch of questions.

“Hey.” Bucky says, sitting by his sister. Steve sits in front of him, between Natasha and Becca.

“Bucky! Why didn’t you tell me we were meeting Captain America and the Black Widow?” she smiled at her brother. Bucky looks at her with one eyebrow raised, and Steve blushes.

“Well, I didn’t know either. So, surprise!” he waves both hands, ironically, and Becca rolls her eyes, looking at Natasha again.

“I follow your career religiously. You’re a badass! The best Avenger, if you ask me. Sorry, Captain.” Becca says.

“It’s okay.” he answers, looking at Bucky. He’s looking down at the menu, ignoring the other three people on the table.

Down the table, he kicks Nat’s foot. She kicks back, and he looks at her frowning. She raises her eyebrows, and Steve subtly points at Bucky with his chin. Natasha rolls her eyes and looks at Becca.

“Thank you, Becca. But tell me about you guys. What do you do for a living?”

“Oh! I’m a college student. I’m on my last year. I study Psychology.”

“Really?” Nat asks. “What about you, Bucky?”

Bucky looks up at her, confused. “Excuse me?”

“Miss Romanoff asked us what we do for a living.” Becca explains.

“You can call me Natasha, Becca.” the redhead smiles, and the brunette tries to drown a squeal, and fails.

“I, uh. I’m graduating on my History PhD this year.” he says, looking at Steve. “I’m doing a thesis on the Howling Commandos.” Steve sighs, looking down to his lap, and he hears Natasha laugh.

“Sorry. It’s just a funny coincidence. Who would’ve thought, huh?”

“Yeah. Real funny…” Bucky says, his sight going back to the menu.

“And how is that coming? When is it due?”

“In like another two weeks. It’s coming good. I just need to sharpen a few details.” he shrugs. “Could we order already?”

“Then it’s a good thing we came!” Nat says, and then nods. “Yeah, let’s order already. I’m dying here. Oh, and I must warn you. Watching Steve eat? Not pretty.”  
“Hey!” Steve protests, looking at her. Becca giggles, and Bucky shakes his head, leaving the menu on the table.

“What? It’s true. Now, call the waiter, or I’ll eat _you_.”

The dinner goes by slowly. It’s usually Becca and Nat who talk, Steve and Bucky only doing so when prompted. When they finish, Steve offers to pay, but Bucky frowns.

“No.” he simply says, taking out his wallet. Steve raises an eyebrow.   
“Bucky. Please. It’s the least I can do.”

“I won’t let you pay for all of this!” he says, pointing at the table.

“I’m the one who had the most, it’s okay, believe me.”

“No. Let me at least pay for half of it.”  
“That’s not fair. I ate more than you and Becca did together.”  
“Then let me pay for our-”

“If you guys are finished.” Natasha says, putting her credit card back on her own wallet. “I already took care of it. And we had fun and all, but flights always tire me out and I want to go back to the hotel.”

“Hotel? You said you were staying at your friend’s place.” Bucky says, looking at Steve.

“Uh. We are. Tony owns the Waldorf, so.” Bucky opens his eyes and Becca slaps his brother in the arm.

“DUDE.” she yells. Natasha chuckles.

“I… I think I need to go home, too.” Bucky says, standing up.

Becca imitates him, and they all leave the restaurant. By the door, Steve turns to look at Bucky.

“Again, I’m sorry.” he says.

“Yeah, you said so.” Bucky replies, looking down at his feet.

“I’ll… I’ll be waiting to hear from you. We leave on Sunday.” he says, but Bucky only nods back.

When Steve is already in bed, his phone rings. He picks it up to see Bucky calling.

“Hello?” he answers.

“It’s weird to go to sleep without talking to you first.” Bucky replies. Steve smiles softly.

“Oh.” he replies.  
“That doesn’t mean I forgave you. I don’t actually know if I’m… angry. I’m just confused. This is so weird.” Bucky sighs.

“I know. I’m sorry for not telling you. I should’ve said something sooner.”  
“No, it’s okay. I guess I would’ve done the same thing. But I still have to process it.”

“It’s okay. And just so you know, I’ll be fine with whatever you choose to do next. Don’t worry.”

Bucky hums. After a minute of silence, he talks. “You know? You’re prettier than I thought, so that’s a good thing.”  
“How did you imagine me?”

“I don’t know. Less… super hero-y, I guess.” Steve chuckles.

“Yeah, well. That was obvious.”

“Am I how you imagined?”

“I already had seen pictures of you.” he says, looking at Natasha. She’s watching TV, not paying attention – actually, pretending she’s not paying attention.

“Still.”

“No. You’re better.”   
“Am I?”

“Yeah. You’re real.”

“That was… really corny.” Bucky laughs. “Anyway. I’m gonna hang up now. I still have to think… about everything. I’ll call you. Or text you. Whatever.”

“Okay. If you don’t do it, though, I’ll understand.” he says. Bucky hums again and says goodbye before he hangs up. Steve sighs, running his hands through his eyes.

“I don’t think you fucked up.” Nat says. “Becca said he really likes you. Apparently, he can’t stop talking about you.”

Steve looks at her, frowning. “Really?”

“That’s what she said.” She shrugs, changing the channel.

Steve looks up to the sky. He really hopes Nat is right.

The morning after, Steve wakes up and goes for a run. He wears the only sweats Nat allowed him to bring, and runs from his hotel to his old neighborhood, DUMBO.

He ends up in Main Street Park, and he’s sitting under the shade of a tree, when a kid walks up to him.

“Excuse me.” he says, shyly. Steve smiles at him.

“Hey, how are you?” he replies, smiling.

“Are you Captain America?” he asks.   
“Ha, you recognized me, huh? Yeah, that’s me. You a fan?” the kid nods, and offers him a small notebook and a pen.   
“Can I have your autograph?” he asks, and Steve nods.   
“Of course. What’s your name?”

“James.” Steve sighs, and nods again, smiling.

“Okay, James.” he writes a short note and signs it, and gives the items back to the kid. “There you go. Be good and stay in school, okay?” he says, and the kid nods and leaves. Steve follows him with his eyes until he reaches a woman, who hugs him and takes his hand, and the kid turns back to wave at him. He waves back and leans against the tree again.

After a few minutes, his phone rings. He picks it up without looking.

“Hello?” he mutters.

“Wow, wow. Thought you’d be more excited after your date!” Tony exclaims. Steve lets out a small sigh. “Woah. Okay, something’s wrong. What? Was his dick not what you expected? Wait, let me rephrase that. Was _dick_ not what you expected?”

“Tony, don’t be gross. No. He got mad at me when he found out who I actually am.”

“What? You hadn’t told him? Are you insane?” Steve closes his eyes and rubs them with his left hand.

“Oh, right. Now it’s my fault. Come on, Tony. You know I couldn’t. It was too dangerous for him.”  
“God, Steve. You’re so thick I think I’m gonna let that guy beat you up. Did you at least apologize?”  
“Of course I did! And I told him to call me only if he really wants to see me. If he never talks to me again, I guess I earned it.”

“You guessed right, buddy.” Steve frowns, even though he knows Tony can’t see him.

“You know, Tony? This conversation isn’t helping.”

“Sorry, pal. You’re right. Look, I gotta go, but I hope you two fix all this. We’ll talk when you get back, okay?”

“Okay, Stark. See you then.”

When he hangs up, he notices a message came in during his short conversation with Tony. He opens it to see it’s from Bucky.

_Can I see you?_

_Yes._

_I’m at Main Street Park._

_Oh._

_Becca’s not here._

_Come over?_

Steve can feel his body go warmer, and if he were someone else, he’s sure he could see himself glowing. Smiling, he types another text and sends it.

_Yes. Send me your address._

Bucky sends his address and, in less than twenty minutes, Steve has already arrived there. P _erks of being a superhero_ , he thinks.

He rings the bell, and after two seconds, Bucky opens the door. His long hair is up in a bun, and he’s wearing a pink v-neck and gray sweatpants. He’s not wearing shoes, only a pair of socks that don’t even match. Steve almost melts at the sight.

He’s also wearing a frown.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were at Main Street.” he asks, confused.

“I… ran?” Steve says. Bucky scoffs, shaking his head.

“Right. Super soldier serum.” Steve nods, and gives him a small smile.

“Okay. Come inside. I’m kind of having breakfast, so if you want anything, you can help yourself.” he says, walking inside the apartment.

Steve walks in too, closing the door behind him. He looks around. It’s not a big apartment, but it’s cozy. They’re in the living room now, which consists of a small coffee table between a white couch covered with blankets and cushions and a flat TV on top of a bookcase. There are a few History books on the couch and a turned-on laptop on the coffee table.

Bucky disappears behind a door, and Steve follows him. They get to the kitchen, which is slightly bigger than the living room. There’s a half empty cereal bowl on the table, besides an open book. On the other end, there’s a white cat sleeping. Alpine, of course. Steve has seen multiple pictures of him already.

Bucky sits in front of the bowl and starts eating at the same time he picks up the book and reads. Steve just stays on his feet, awkwardly looking around.

“You can sit.” Bucky says. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really, thanks. I already ate.” he says, sitting beside him. But when he moves the chair, it startles Alpine, who wakes up, hisses at him, and runs away. Steve looks at Bucky, who chuckles.

“It’s okay. He doesn’t like new people.”

“Oh.” Steve simply says.

After a while, Bucky suddenly passes him the book, pointing at a specific paragraph.

“Is that true?” he asks.

Steve reads it. The book, apparently, is a biography of him; and that chapter is about his relationship with Peggy during the war. And the paragraph talks about how in the early 60s, a man tried to convince everyone he was Steve Rogers’s and Peggy Carter’s long lost son, given for adoption due to them not being able to get married and raise him because of the war. It studies the case, pointing out how for a short period of time Peggy wasn’t seen in public and how convenient the man’s birth date was, even how physically alike he looked to Steve.

Steve looks at Bucky. He shakes his head. “No. No, of course not. God, how… where did this come from? No one told me about this.”

“Yeah, well, none of your friends were born back then, I guess. Except well. Thor, but you know. Mrs Carter solved it pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, I understand. It’s just… Wow. No, this is not… true. Peggy and I, uh, we never… uh.” he blushes, looking down at the book again. Bucky looks at him.   
“You never had sex with her?”

“I wanted… we were going to get married. I wanted to wait.” Steve explains.

“You proposed?” Steve nods.   
“We never told anyone because… we didn’t know what was going to happen. And getting married during a war seemed… Unmoral? But yes. As soon as it was all over, we were going to.”

“Wow. Does anyone know?” Bucky asks.

“Daniel, her husband, knew. Peggy told him. And their kids too. And now you do.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows. “Really?” Steve nods. “Wow. Uh, thanks for telling me, then.” Steve nods again. “Can I ask… something?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Are you… still waiting?” Bucky asks.

Steve chuckles, shaking his head. “I tried to kill myself during a war and woke up out of a sudden 66 years into the future. The woman I was supposed to marry couldn’t get up of her bed without help and didn’t even remember me. Her children were older than me. I had to fight aliens six months after that. When something like that happens to you, you don’t care about things like marriage, or God anymore. All I do now is live the moment when I’m on it. It’s easier this way.”

“So… you’ve had sex.” Bucky raises his eyebrows.

“Yes, I have.”

“With women.”

“Yes.”

“But not men.”

“No. I told you, I’m still not sure about that.” he replies, looking down to his hands.

“And if a man offered you to have sex now…” Steve looks at him, smiling.

“Is there something you want to say, Bucky?” Bucky blushes, looking away.

“That’s not… No. I’m still mad at you. It’s my inner teenager who can’t control himself.”

Steve chuckles, leaning on the table to get closer to him. “You know I really am flattered to know you jerked out to me when you were younger, right?”

Bucky still won’t look at him, but Steve can see the point of his ears getting redder.

“Shut up.” he whispers, and Steve laughs again. He looks down at the book, and sees a picture of him and the 107th, after he rescued them in Azzano.

“Hey.” he calls out to Bucky, showing him the picture. “Look, that’s your grandfather.” he says, pointing at him. Bucky looks a the picture, and frowns. He looks closer and then looks at Steve.

“He is. I hadn’t even seen him. How did you?”

“A guy like him is difficult to forget.” he smiles.   
“You’re gonna tell me you had a crush on my _grandfather_?”

“I wouldn’t say a crush, per se, but… if he had swung that way, maybe…”  
“No. Stop. I don’t want to hear it. You were gonna get married to Peggy Carter. You were a poster boy.”

“Poster boys always have secrets, Barnes.”

Bucky looks at him, frowning, and puts his hands on his ears. “If I don’t hear it, it’s not true.” Steve giggles, shaking his head. He closes the book and looks at Bucky, smiling. “What?”

“You’re really beautiful, Bucky.” he says. Bucky blushes again, and looks down at the empty bowl.  
“Thanks. You are, too.” Steve smiles and moves his chair a little closer to Bucky. The brunet doesn’t stir.

“I’m really sorry for not telling you who I was. If something had happened to you because of me… I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”

“I know. I understand. It still stings, though.”

“And I need to tell you this. If we’re going to keep doing this, being friends or… or whatever, there’s going to be someone to make sure you’re okay. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be close at all times. Of you and Becca.” he puts his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, and the brunet places his own hand on top of Steve’s. “But I won’t let them unless you completely agree to it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Steve asks, hopeful.

“Yes. I want to keep talking to you. I like talking to you. And if you promise Becca will be okay…”

“I swear.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you, Bucky.” Steve smiles, and Bucky smiles too.

They’re close, Steve had been moving closer the whole time, and he’s pretty sure Bucky has too. It’s only a few inches between their lips, and Steve wants to rid of them, and kiss Bucky senseless. He hasn’t felt this way in a long time, probably not since Peggy, and he’s sure he can’t be mistaken. He looks at Bucky’s lips, then at his eyes, and he sees him looking at his own lips. He smiles, licking his lower lip, and moves a little closer.

When he’s about to close his eyes, there’s a loud crash, and they both move back. They look at the floor, and the cereal bowl is there, broken in pieces, and Alpine is on the table, licking at his paw. Bucky frowns.

“Alpine! That was my favorite one!” he shouts. Alpine meows back at him, and jumps down from the table. Bucky sighs, getting up, but Steve stops him by taking him by the arm.

“Wait. You’re barefoot. Let me do it.” he says, and stands up.

Bucky frowns, but sits anyway, and tells him where the broom is.

Steve picks the bigger pieces up and puts them in the trash bin, and then sweeps the rest. When he’s finished, he asks Bucky where his room is and picks a pair of shoes for him. Finally, he sits beside him again. Bucky now has Alpine on his lap, and is stroking his fur.

“You didn’t have to do all that.” he says. Steve shrugs.

“I wanted to.”

Bucky doesn’t say anything, frowning, looking down at Alpine.

After a while, he looks at the blond.

“What if we go out tonight? Just the two of us.” he suggests. Steve smiles.

“Like… a date?” he ventures.

“Yeah. A date.” Bucky smiles softly. Steve nods.

“Yeah. I would love that, Buck.”

“Great. Great.” he says, and resumes stroking Alpine.

Steve sighs, content, and, after a while, he gets to have Alpine on his lap, too.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything in this chapter is so cute  
> except there's a tiny little bit of angst. nothing much really.   
> hope you like it!!!!!!

When Steve goes back to the hotel, Natasha is on her bed, reading a book in a language Steve can’t even begin to understand. Still, he flops down beside her, smiling.

“What? Was the run that good?” she asks, still looking at her book.

“I went to Bucky’s place.” he says. Natasha looks at him and her eyebrows raise.

“And?”  
“We have a date tonight.” the redhead smiles, leaving the book aside to stroke Steve’s hair, and kisses his forehead.   
“That’s so great, Rogers. I knew you could do it.”

Natasha stands up, walking to the bathroom. Steve follows her with his eyes.

“So what should I wear?”

Nat turns to look at him and smirks. “It all depends on how you expect to end the night.” she winks, and Steve flushes, hiding his face behind his hands.

“So?” Nat asks from behind Steve’s body. “What do you think?”

Steve looks at himself in the mirror. He’s wearing a white, silky button down and black pants, along with a red blazer and black shoes. He has never in his life worn anything like this, and he doesn’t think he feels all that comfortable in it. He twists his body so he can see his behind and frowns.

“Isn’t this… a little tight?” Steve asks.

“Can you squat?” Nat says. Steve does one squat and looks at her. “That means it’s not.”

Steve sighs, standing back up, and looks at the mirror again.

“Steve, you look great. And I know you feel weird but this is not _not_ you. I mean, isn’t it something you would wear, say, to one of Tony’s New Year’s party?” When Steve doesn’t reply, Natasha rolls her eyes. “You can’t live your whole life wearing Nikes, Rogers.” she moves back to her bed, sitting on it. Steve stays in front of the mirror, but this time he looks at his face.

His blond hair falling on his forehead gives him a childish look. His blue eyes, highlighted in contrast of the red jacket, look back at him on top of dark bags from not sleeping last night, mind full of worry over what Bucky’s next move would be. His lips are dry and Steve wonders if Bucky would like to kiss them. He definitely wants to kiss Bucky’s, always plump and red like his own get after a making out session. How would Bucky look, then? Can they get any redder?

He looks at his nose then. His crooked nose, that not even the serum could fix; the only part of his body still there to remind him he’s not only Captain America, but Steve Rogers too.

He looks at the mirror checking each and every part of himself, and wonders if that’s enough for someone as wonderful as Bucky. Probably not, but if the brunet is naive enough to think it is, then Steve is not gonna throw away his shot.

When Steve gets to the restaurant, Bucky is already there, on a small table in the corner of the restaurant, where no one can see them. Also, he has been thoughtful enough to sit on the seat giving his back the restaurant so Steve can hide behind him and still have an eye in every exit.

It’s a small Mediterranean restaurant, decorated in different shades of blue and white, with lights that hang from the ceiling so low that Steve is pretty sure he’s going to bump his head with them.

When the brunet notices Steve, he smiles at him, waving, and when the blond reaches the table, he stands up.

Steve, not knowing well what to do, tries to shake Bucky’s hand. But Bucky rolls his eyes and hugs him.

The blond takes in Bucky’s cologne, and tries his hard not to hide his face on the small space between Bucky’s neck and shoulder.

When they break apart, Bucky sits again, so Steve mimics him. He grabs a menu and starts reading it, until he notices Bucky looking at him. So he looks back.

“What?” he asks, frowning a little.

“You look really good. Red suits you. Maybe you should change your pattern a little.” Steve chuckles, leaving the menu aside, and looks at Bucky.

“Maybe I should. And, it’d help hide the blood better, wouldn’t it?”

Bucky rolls his eyes and kicks him under the table. “Don’t say that. Your health isn’t a joke, buddy.”

“Yeah. That’s what Sam says, too.”

“This is so weird. You’re really talking about the Falcon, and you just call him Sam.” Bucky chuckles.

“Well, it’s his name. You call me Steve.”

“I know I do, but I didn’t know who you were before yesterday, so it’s different.” Bucky says, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Okay, okay. I have nothing to say after that. Let’s just order, please? I’m starving.”

Bucky nods and they both take a menu, checking them out and talking about the different dishes.

When they finally order, and the waiter doesn’t recognize him – or at least doesn’t say anything, Steve looks at Bucky, who’s looking outside the window.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Steve says, softly. Bucky looks at him and smiles.

“I was just thinking how much I’d love to have a time machine right now.”  
“What for?” Steve asks, confused.

“To tell 16 years old James Barnes from Shelbyville, Indiana, that he’s gonna be on a date with Captain America in less than 20 years.”

Steve chuckles, resting his back on the chair. “Yeah, I wonder what it would be like to tell 16 years old Steve Rogers that he would have a date with a man. Maybe he would have had a heart attack.”

“Okay, so, let’s not try that then. I like you here and now.”

Steve smiles, and shifts so he’s as close to Bucky as he can. Bucky does the same, so they end up leaning forwards, over the table, their noses only inches apart.

“You know? Your eyes are something else, I swear.” Steve says. “I’m still trying to figure out the exact color. Right now they look as blue as the sky, but this morning, back in your house, they were gray. Why do they change like this?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s the lightning. Sorry if I didn’t say something about feelings, I’m just not romantic.” Steve chuckles, looking down. His hand is almost brushing Bucky’s. “Yours are beautiful too, by the way. The perfect blue, with just a hint of green in the middle. Just like the sea.”

 _The sky and the sea_. Steve thought. He couldn’t wait to know what the horizon felt like.

After dinner, they walk back to Bucky’s apartment. It’s not far from the restaurant, but it’s not close either, so they walk for around 30 minutes in the chilly New York night, so close their shoulders bump, and talking softly.

When they reach Bucky’s block, they stop in front of the glass door. Bucky looks at Steve, and he looks back.

“So.” he says. “You’re leaving tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Superhero duties on Monday, you know.” Bucky chuckles.

“Yeah, sure. Could we meet up before you leave?” he asks, looking at Steve’s eyes.

Steve smiles softly and places his hand in Bucky’s cheek. The brunet blushes. “Of course we can. How about you come have lunch tomorrow at the hotel? Nat will be there, too.”

Bucky smiles and nods. “I’ll be there at 12:00.”

“Good. We’re on the suite on the last floor. If anyone asks, you’re there to see me, okay? And if they don’t let you up, just call me.”

Bucky nods again, and Steve kisses his cheek.

The brunet gets inside the building and it’s not until he disappears behind the elevator’s doors that Steve starts walking back to the Waldorf. He sighs, looking up at the sky.

Maybe he could get used to this.

And then it all goes to shit.

Steve is woken up by Natasha shaking his shoulders, and he’s on his feet in a second. He’s too used to danger, he realizes.

“What is it?” he asks, reaching for his shield. Only, it’s in the compound.

“Look.” she says, and shoves her phone on his face.

He takes it, and the first thing he sees is his back. The second thing, Bucky’s face.

It’s a picture on the restaurant, someone who was also having dinner should’ve taken it. Obviously so, it’s the moment they were closer, and it looks like they’re about to kiss. Steve groans and drops Natasha’s phone on the bed. Then, he drops too.

“Pepper has already texted me. If you want it out, she’ll make it happen. If you want to talk about it, whatever you want to say, she’ll make it happen too. Just say the word.” she says, sitting beside him and putting her hand on his thigh.

Steve doesn’t answer. He’s thinking. He might be the greatest tactical mind of the 20th century, but he has never been in this position before. But he knows someone who has.

“Call Tony.” he tells Nat. “We need him.”

Long story short, a few years back, when Steve Rogers was already in this century, someone leaked some pictures of Tony Stark getting busy with some kid he went to college with. Of course, Stark Industries’s PR manager told him to deny everything and just say it had been an ‘experience only caused by college kids and their substances, but nothing that would happen again’. Tony Stark, being Tony Stark, called a press meeting and told the world he was bisexual and had been for more than he could remember.

So, without a doubt, Tony was Steve’s best option at the moment.

Tony picks up before the first tone, of course. Because that’s just how Tony is.

“Hey, Widow. How is New York treating you? Should we go back?” is his opening line.

“Hey, Tony.” Steve says. “Have you… checked the news?” he asks.

“No, why? FRIDAY, news, please.” There’s a moment of silence and then. “Wait. Is that your number neighbor guy or whatever? He’s hot. Have you banged that already?”

“Tony, that’s not why I called.” Steve sighs. “What do I do?”

“Suck his dick. Or let him sucks yours, maybe.”  
“ _Tony_.”

“Okay, sorry. Look. First of all, you should talk with him. Don’t do anything he doesn’t agree on. But, Steve, I can’t tell you _what_ to do. I did what I did back then because that’s just who I am. We’re different. You need to do what you think will make you comfortable. You don’t even know what you… identify with yet, do you?” Steve doesn’t answer, but he knows Tony’s right. All he knows is that he really likes Bucky and that he wants to kiss him. Other than that, he’s pretty much hopeless. “Whatever you do, we all support you, Cap. Just know that, okay?”

“I do. Thank you, Tony.”

“No problem, bro. You know I love you.”

“Bro?” Natasha snorts.

“Too much time with the kid. Love you too, Nat.”

“Yeah, Tony. Love you.” Natasha says, and then looks at Steve. He raises one eyebrow. She does the same. He sighs.

“Love you too, Tony.”

Tony chuckles and says goodbye, then hangs up. Then, Natasha drops the phone in the bed again and looks her friend.   
“Call Bucky.”

Bucky is in the hotel half an hour later. He’s pacing around the room, running his fingers through his hair. He’s breathing hard. Steve walks behind him, wanting to touch him and help him calm down, but not knowing how. Natasha looks at them from a chair, with her arms folded on her chest.

After then minutes of pacing around, Bucky stops, and Steve, not noticing it, bumps into his back. Bucky turns around and frowns.

“Were you following me?”

“Uh…”

Bucky rolls his eyes and looks at Natasha. “You’re smart. What do we do?”  
“Well.” Natasha stands up. “The smartest thing is for Steve to call a press meeting. Then he can say whatever he wants to say.”

Bucky turns to look at Steve. “You can’t say you’re dating me.”

“Dating?” Steve says. Really, this is the first time he’s realized he _might_ be dating Bucky.

“You can’t. Please. Look, Steve, I like you; but I don’t know what are the NYU rules about making your thesis on someone you’re dating. Don’t think that’s allowed, though. What if the Dean finds out? What if he makes me do a new one? I want to get my PhD this year, thank you very much.”

Steve nods, then sits on his bed. “I don’t need to call a press meeting for what I want to say.” he says, taking his phone out of his pocket. “I have Twitter, don’t I?”

Natasha smiles and dries a fake tear from his eye. “We’ve taught you so well.”

Steve rolls his head and starts typing.

**@CaptainRogers**

You have probably seen the recent news. Before anything goes out of hands, I want to make clear that the guy on the picture is not my boyfriend. I am currently single. He’s just a friend I’ve helped with something private. Thank you, and take care.

He hits send and in less than one second, Bucky’s phone pings. The two Avengers look at him, and Bucky flushes.

“I’m making a thesis about him! Of course I have his notifications on!”

They order some Asian food and eat it in bed. Natasha decides to leave them both alone, claiming she has some ‘business’ to attend to. So they’re eating one across the other, the food in the middle; and the TV on – mainly to have some background noise.

“I’m sorry that happened, by the way.” Steve says, looking at Bucky.

“It’s okay. I guess that’s what happens when the guy you’re seeing is an Avenger.”

Steve chuckles, nodding softly. Then, he looks at Bucky. “So. We’re… dating?”

Bucky raises an eyebrow. “I… thought we were. I’m sorry if I was too forward, was I? Steve, if you don’t feel comfortable we-”

“It’s okay.” Steve says, interrupting him. “Dating is good. I just like to know we’re in the same page.”

“We are.” Bucky says. Steve fidgets with his chopsticks, not looking at Bucky, until he realizes and asks him. “What is it?”

“Are we…” he clears his throat and looks at Bucky. “Are we exclusive?” he flushes. Bucky smiles softly.

“Yeah. Yeah, if you want to. I don’t really have a line of people asking to go out on a date with me. And even if I did, you’re better than them, Captain Rogers.” he winks at Steve, who flushes even more.

He takes a deep breath, and moves his plate from his legs. “Can I kiss you?”

Bucky, who was taking a sip of water at the moment, almost chokes. He coughs twice and then looks at Steve. “Yeah. And please don’t ever ask for permission again.”

Steve smiles, and moves closer to Bucky. Putting his hands on the brunet’s cheeks, he moves closer to him and presses his lips with Bucky’s. Bucky kisses back, and as soon as he opens his mouth wide enough, Steve slides his tongue inside the his mouth. They kiss for a few minutes, until Bucky feels he’s out of breath and takes Steve’s wrists, breaking apart. Steve looks at him and when he sees his lips swollen and red, he smiles. He pecks his lips once more and Bucky chuckles.

“You’re eager.” he jokes.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since I first saw a picture of you.” he confesses; both to Bucky and to himself. Bucky rolls his eyes and moves his arms so they’re around Steve’s neck.

Suddenly, he frowns.

“You’re leaving today.”

“I can come back. And you can come visit.” he whispers. Bucky is still frowning, so Steve kisses his nose. “We’ll be alright.”

Bucky nods, and then he moves closer to Steve and kisses him again.

They keep making out until they hear the door open and Natasha walking in. They both look at her, who’s smiling with her arms crossed.

“I’m gonna make a phone call.” she says.

“Don’t call Tony!” Steve pleads.   
“It’s not him.” she winks, and leaves the room again.

Bucky looks at Steve. Steve looks back.

“I’m really sorry about that.” he apologizes.

Bucky chuckles and shakes his head, putting his hand on Steve’s neck and pushing him towards his lips again.

“Stop.” Natasha orders, looking at Steve. Steve frowns, confused.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“I can smell your sulking. Stop.” she orders. Steve scoffs.

They’re on the jet, on their way back to the compound. Bucky stayed with them until they decided to leave, and kissed Steve goodbye for around 10 minutes.

Natasha had stayed there, staring at Steve so hard he could feel her eyes in his neck, which is the only reason he broke apart from Bucky; and the only reason she had done it.

Now he was looking out the window, his chin on his hand, thinking about how much he missed Bucky. Obviously, Natasha noticed.

“I miss him.” Steve sighs.

“It’s been an hour. You can call him as soon as we land.”

“I know. But it’s not the same.” Natasha rolls her eyes. Then, she smils.

“How does it feel to have a boyfriend, huh?” she asks. Steve blushes a little.   
“He’s not my boyfriend. Not officially, at least.” he explains. “But it’s good. I never thought this could be possible.”

“Having a not-boyfriend?” Steve nods “So you always knew? That you liked boys, too?”

“I don’t know. I guess some part of you always knows. I just wasn’t able to accept it back then, and too stubborn to do it now.”

“And then you met Bucky.”

“And then I met Bucky. And I guess I couldn’t keep hiding it anymore.”

“Or you didn’t want to.”

“Or I didn’t want to…” he smiles, and looks at Natasha. “Yeah. That’s probably it.”

“When will you tell the others?” she asks. The Avengers. His friends. They should know, shouldn’t they? They’re the only people he has, to be honest. And he wants to share his happiness with his friends. His family.

“Mhm. Will we arrive for dinner?” Steve asks, and Nat chuckles, nodding. “Then it’s settled.”

Steve fidgets on his seat the whole hour they spend having dinner. It’s been a while since everybody was there – usually it’s just Nat, him and Wanda; but today is conveniently different.

Clint had come back for his monthly visit, and Thor was there too for a short vacation before going back to Asgard to help Valkyrie with royal chores. Bruce had stepped in to say hello, too; and had brought Scott Lang with him. Wanda and Vision were always there, so it wasn’t a surprise. Sam – Natasha’s mysterious phone call, Steve had guessed when he had popped in, had arrived right when he and Nat had, and not much later arrived Tony, who had decided to bring young Peter Parker and Rhodey with.

After they’re done with the dessert, Steve looks around. This should be easy. It’s their friends. He has risked his life for these people, and they for him. His eyes meet Nat’s, who gives him a smirk and a nod. Steve nods back, and knows that it’ll be alright. His having an almost-boyfriend won’t change a thing. This is the 21st century. Things are different now.

So he clears his throat loud enough for everyone to look at him. Once everybody’s attention is on him, he takes a deep breath and starts talking.

“I need to tell you guys something.” Everybody keeps quiet, looking at him, and he runs his fingers through his hair. Looking away once and then back front, he smirks. “So, huh. Nat and I went to New York this weekend. You know that. But you don’t know what for, so, uh. I just wanted to tell you guys that in the last few weeks I’ve met someone, and they lived in New York, so Nat… came with me, to meet them. In person. And, uh, yeah. I guess I could say I’m… seeing someone.”

Nobody says anything. They look at each other and then at Steve, who was blushing from the top of his ears to the collar of his shirt. Then Wanda, sitting right next to him, holds his hand and smiles.

“I’m glad. It was about time you met someone, Captain.” she mutters.

“I agree with her. I was starting to think you had decided to do an abstinence pact, or something.” Clint jokes, leaning back on his chair. Steve can see Nat kicking him under the table.

“And who is this woman you’re dating?” Thor asks, and Steve wince. He had expected _not_ to be asked that.

“Yeah, when will we meet her?” Rhodey asks.

“Uh, yeah. The thing is. He’s… not a woman. His name is James. It’s the… guy from the leaked picture, the other night.” he whispers, but still loud enough for everyone on the table to hear.

There is silence, and then, Tony clears his throat. “I believe some people on this table owe me $10.”

Clint groans, taking his wallet out and sliding Tony $10. The older man winks at him and puts the billet on his pocket. Steve frowns at Tony, who shrugs.

“Okay, so. Now that it’s established that America’s golden boy likes his men like he likes his women, I have to take the kid back to New York. So, unless someone else wants to confess any other unsurprising secret, Parker and I will be going. Oh, and don’t worry, Cap, this bet has been on since 2014.” he says, standing up. The others rolls his eyes, and Steve unclenches his jaw, letting go a bit of the tension he had in it. Everyone follows Tony and stands up, starting to clean the table.

Right when Steve is standing up, Peter approaches him and takes him by the elbow.

“Mr Rogers?” he says. Steve smiles down at him.

“You know you can call me Steve, Queens.”

The kid nods, and then smiles at him. “I just wanted to thank you for that. I… Not many people know, but. I’m bisexual too. So… Thank you.” he says, flushing a little.

Steve smiles softly, and puts his arm around the kid. “Thank you.” he says, and then lets go of the kid, following him with his eyes as he reaches Tony. The older man smiles at the Captain and gestures him to expect a call. Steve nods, taking the last few plates from the table and walking to the kitchen.

It’s only Sam and Nat left there, Nat sitting on Sam’s lap, showing him some of the pictures she took in New York.

It’s weird, Steve thinks, what Nat and Sam have, in which they like each other too bad but are too stubborn to try anything. Still, they make it work. He hopes Bucky and him will, someday, reach that level of comfortableness.

As soon as Steve enters the room, Sam looks up. He smiles and shakes his head.

“You know, I thought, as best friends, I’d get an early pass to what happens in your life. I can’t believe you told me the same time you told everyone else.”

“Nat did it before I even had time. Don’t guilt trip me.” he says, placing the dirty dishes in the sink.

“She showed me some pictures. He’s handsome, dude. How did you score that one?” he asks. Steve laughs.

“I don’t know, man. I really don’t know.”

After a long, long phone conversation with Tony, telling him absolutely everything about the weekend he spent in New York, he hangs up, wishing him and Pepper a good night, and proceeds to shoot a text to Bucky.

_You up?_

_Sure, wanna bang?_

Steve frowns. It’s not that he doesn’t, but...

_What?_

_Kidding._

_Unless…_

_Bucky._

_Sorry. How’s home?_

_Good._

He bites down his lip, his fingers ghosting the keyboard. Maybe it’s too soon, but he’s over waiting.

_I miss you, though._

_I miss you too._

_It’s even harder knowing I have to get up early tomorrow to keep making sure you biography is 100% correct._

_Does it seem obsessive the fact that I’m literally writing a thesis about the guy I’m dating?_

_It could, in other circumstances._

_But no._

_It’s actually flattering._

_Heh_

_That’s why I did it._

_Obviously._

_By the way, I told the team about you._

_Not a lot, just that your name is James and that I’m actually dating you. The guy from the picture, I mean._

_Cool. I told Becca too. She cried a little._

_Aw._

_What about Alpine?_

_You want me to tell the cat?_

_I mean I would but he’s not gonna give a shit._

_He doesn’t care about his new dad? Ouch._

_Sorry, babe._

_He’ll get there._

_Babe, huh?_

_Sorry. Too much?_

_No, I like it. Sounds good._

_Nice :)_

_Hey, I’m gonna go to bed. Loads to do tomorrow. I’ll text you._

_Okay. Have a good night._

_Thanks. You too._

Steve locks his phone and clutches it against his chest. He looks up to the ceiling and smiles. Yeah. This feels great.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bucky is going through a rough patch  
> also i don't know how phd works, but since this is my story and my universe we're not going to comment on that  
> anyway here you have domestic stevebucky!!

This sucks.

Steve hasn’t been this furious in a long, long time.

It’s two weeks after he left New York, and here he is again, fighting an army of stupid robots that stupid Goblin has sent against stupid Spider-man, who wasn’t able to defeat them himself and called stupid Tony for backup, who stupidly dragged him with.

So there he is now, in Times Square, throwing his shield around and jumping on top of abandoned cars.

He should pay for those.

Tony will take care of it.

“Captain Rogers, you have an incoming call.” JARVIS says on the intercom, and then Tony speaks up.

“Is that your lover boy?”

“It appears to be a contact added as ‘Bucky’, Captain.” JARVIS replies.

Steve sighs. “Pick up, JARVIS.”

“Steve?” Bucky says as soon as JARVIS follows orders. “Is that you jumping around Times Square?”

“Yeah.” he says at the same time as he throws the shield against a bot about to take Peter by the legs. “Tony, tell your kid to be more careful!”

“You heard Cap, Underoos.” Tony says. Steve climbs another car to see where Goblin is, but can’t find him.   
“Steve, can they hear me?” Bucky asks.

“We do.” Tony answers.

“Tony.”

“Sorry!”   
“Bucky, is everything okay?” Steve asks.

“Yeah.” Bucky says. “I was just… I was worried. Are you alright?”

“I am, so far. I have to get rid of these things though.”

“Okay. Be careful, please. And, uh. Do you wanna come over when you’re finished?”

“It might take a while.”  
“I’ll wait. I was going to stay up finishing the thesis though.”   
“Bucky, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know. Sorry. But it’s due in three days.”

“Okay. I’ll come over. I have to go.”

“Okay. Kick those metal asses, babe.”

Tony snickers at the nickname, and Steve blushes a little. He throws the shield at him, though not hard enough to hurt him, and Tony rolls his eyes, flying away.

“I’ll see you later, Buck.”

Bucky hangs up, and Steve sighs again, ready to keep fighting those stupid robots.

Maybe this doesn’t suck as much as he thought.

Four hours later, full of dirt and sweat, he knocks on Bucky’s door.

Becca opens the door, and her eyes go wide when she sees him. “Oh, my God. Bucky!” she calls her brother, who walks out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands.

“Steve!” he says, leaving the bowl on the coffee table and walking to him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just… tired.” he says. “Can I come in?”

Bucky nods, taking Steve’s hand, and guides him to the sofa. He looks at his face, and runs his left hand through the blond’s hair. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I am, Buck. Don’t worry. Although.”

“What?” Bucky says, a little panic on his tone.

“I could use a shower.” Steve mutters, smiling slightly. Bucky rolls his eyes, and punches his bicep.

“You can use ours. Come on. You can leave the shield, uh… wherever you want, I guess.” he says, standing up and walking down the aisle. Steve follows until they reach the bathroom.

“So. I can get some clothes for you, but they’ll probably be a bit tight.” Bucky starts. “And I can put the suit in the washer, I guess. Hey, have you had dinner? I can whip something quick up and-”

Steve interrupts him, kissing him on the mouth. Bucky doesn’t stir for a second, but then Steve can feel his smile and him kissing back.

They break apart and Steve smiles.

“I’d love to have dinner, doll.”

Bucky blushes a little and clears his throat. “Okay. So, everything you need is there, I think. I’ll get you some clothes… Uhm, you wanna change underwear, too?”

Steve chuckles, and nods. “Sure. I’d love to wear your boxers.” Bucky blushes a bit, and looks away.

“Okay. I’ll leave you to it, then.”  
Bucky leaves the bathroom and Steve starts undressing. When did the roles change? Last time he checked, he was the shy one; and Bucky was the little shit. Maybe the fact that Becca was here made Bucky uncomfortable. And… _doll_? Had he really called Bucky ‘ _doll_ ’? God, he was fucked. This guy was fucking him up.

He only takes 10 minutes to shower, and when he steps out of it, Bucky has left the clothes on top of the sink. There’s a black pair of boxers, blue socks, grey sweatpants and an orange sweater. He puts everything on and smells the sweater, taking in Bucky’s smell. He smiles and walks out of the bathroom.

Bucky is in the kitchen, cooking what smells like omelets, and Becca is sitting on the counter, chatting with him.

“Hey, in-law.” she says when she spots him. “How you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks, Becca.”

“You like omelets, don’t you?” she asks. He smiles and nods.   
“See, Buck? You were spiraling for nothing.” she says, elbowing him.

“God, shut up…” he whispers. Steve smiles and walks beside him.

“Don’t worry. I’d have eaten anything. I’m so hungry.” he says, running his hand down Bucky’s arm.

“Cute.” Becca says. “Hey, is it true your metabolism is so fast you have to eat like three times an average person?”

“Only two. Like I’m constantly pregnant.” Steve jokes. Becca snickers, and Bucky looks at him weird. “What?”

“You’re a punk.” he says, and goes back to cooking. “Becs, set the table. We have a guest.”  
  


After they have dinner, Becca leaves so she can go to the library to study for her finals, leaving Steve and Bucky alone.

They settle into the living room, sitting on the couch as Bucky takes his laptop and starts reading the last draft of his thesis out loud to a sleepy Steve, who has Alpine curled on his lap.

“Stop me if something sounds weird.” Bucky had said, but Steve was too focused on the way Bucky’s lips moved to care.

After ten minutes, Bucky is almost done, but Steve can’t handle it anymore. He closes the laptop and looks at Bucky.

“Buck. I know you’re stressed. But I’ve been kicking metal asses all day and I just want to kiss you for a while before I fall asleep on my feet.”  
Bucky frowns a little, and then puts his laptop away and cups Steve’s face with his hands. The blond smiles and draws himself closer to the other man, locking their lips together.

After a hot session of making out that ends when Bucky’s hands go too far up Steve’s shirt, Steve decides it’s time to go.

“I can stay at the Waldorf. Tony won’t mind.” he explains to Bucky when he asks him where he’s going.

“Or.” Bucky starts, then looks away. “Or you could stay here.” he finally says. Steve smiles and puts his arms around Bucky. He wonders that maybe it’s too soon for that, but that train of thought stops as soon as he realizes they had spent two weeks apart and Steve didn’t know when he could go back to New York.   
“I’d love that.”

Bucky smiles at Steve, hugging him back, and then they walk to Bucky’s bedroom.

As soon as they’re under the covers, Bucky curls in Steve’s broad chest, and falls asleep. Steve stays awake a few more minutes, running his fingers through the brunet’s hair.

He thought he had lost all his chances of love back in 1945, when he had drown with the ship and left his fiancée behind.

Now, holding Bucky in his arms, he decides he’s too goddamn lucky. Must be his mom’s Irish side.

When Steve wakes up the morning after, it’s to his phone ringing. He picks it up, checking the time, and sees Nat calling. Sighing, he picks it up.

“Morning, Romanoff.” he says.

“Where the hell are you?” she asks, with that tone Steve knows is her version of yelling.

Steve looks around, and remembers where he spent the night. Though, Bucky is not there. He gets off bed before answering, looking for the brunet.

“I’m at Bucky’s. I spent the night here.”

He finds him in the living room, sitting on the couch with his laptop between his legs and a few books open on the coffee table. All of them are filled with colorful sticky notes or highlighted.

Bucky doesn’t even acknowledge him, so Steve leans on the door frame, smiling down at him.

“Huh. Had any fun business?” she asks. Steve rolls his eyes and clears his throat.

Bucky looks up to him, and rubs his eyes. He smiles weakly and waves at him. Then he goes back to his laptop.

“No, Nat. When it happens, though, you’ll be the first one to know.”

Natasha chuckles and Steve knows she’s rolling her eyes. They know each other like that.

“Okay. I’ll let you be, then. Have fun and be careful, okay?”

“Yes, mom.”

Nat says goodbye and hangs up, so Steve leaves his phone on his sweater’s pocket and looks at Bucky.

“Did you at least have breakfast?”

“Two coffees. Hey, when did your mom exactly arrive to the US?”

“Uh, she was three months pregnant with me, so January 1918. Do you want something to eat?”  
“Can’t. And when did she stay at first?”

“Some… old lady’s house. I don’t remember her name, but she used to give me $2 every year for my birthday until she died. I didn’t go to her funeral because I was like, uh… 5 or so. Bucky, you need to eat something. Come on, I’ll cook you something and bring it here, okay?”

Bucky only hums. Steve sighs, sitting beside him.

“Buck, how long have you been awake?”

“What time is it?”

“Half past eight…”  
“Uh, like… four hours?”

Steve puts his forehead on Bucky’s forehead and closes his eyes. “Please. You can’t keep up like this. You have to rest.”

“I’ll rest tomorrow. It’s on my schedule. Today I finish doing this and tomorrow I’ll rest. It’s due the day after tomorrow, so after it I’ll… I’ll be done. I’ll have all the time in the world and I’ll… I don’t know. I’ll rest then, Steve.”

Steve sighs and looks down on his hands. “Okay. I won’t bother you anymore, then.”

He stands up and walks to the kitchen, where he leans against the counter and sighs.

He’s just starting to make himself a coffee when Becca gets in the kitchen. She sits on the counter, beside the blond.

“He’s spiraling. He always does that.” she sighs, throwing her head back. “Want some advice?” she asks him. Steve looks down to his cup and then to the girl.

“Please.”

“Just let him be. He might be a zombie for the next two days but it’ll be worse if you push him. I know it sucks. But it really is all we can do. He won’t accept any help.”

“I just don’t like seeing him like this…”

“You think I do? He’s always been like that. Mom tried to talk him into therapy for his SATs, but he’s too damn stubborn. Sometimes he vents by picking up fights. I’m just warning you because you guys are still recent, and I wouldn’t like you to break up for something as silly as that.”

When she finishes, Steve nods. He takes a deep breath and looks at her.

“Thank you, Becca. Now, how do you feel about Captain America cooking you breakfast?” he asks, making her giggle.

“I think I’d like that.”

“Well then, get ready for the best pancakes you’re ever going to taste.” he says, winking at her, and she giggles again as she sits on the counter.

After Becca and him are done with breakfast, Steve takes a few pancakes and a fork, along with a cup of coffee, to the living room, where Bucky is still perched in front of the laptop.

“Here you go.” Steve says. “I’d very much appreciate if you ate it.” he smiles down at Bucky. The younger man looks at him for a fraction of a second and simply thanks him.

Steve sighs and goes back to Bucky’s bedroom. He makes the bed, and starts folding and putting in back in the closet the clothes Bucky has laying on the floor, thinking that this looked more like Peter Parker’s room than a 31-year-old man.

When he is done, he takes his suit from the dryer machine and changes, putting the clothes Bucky lent him on the bed. He walks to the living room to grab his shield. Bucky lifts his sight from the laptop when he walks in front of him, and stays like that, staring.

“What?” Steve asks.

“The suit. It… looks good. You do.” he mumbles.

Steve chuckles. “You saw me with it yesterday, Buck.”

“Yeah, but I was worried yesterday. Now I’m…” he doesn’t say anything, giving him an up down stare, but they both know what Bucky means. Then, the brunet frowned. “Why are you wearing it?”

“Oh. I’m leaving.” he says, pointing to the shield. “Tony sent me a text and he’s in the city, so…” Bucky doesn’t say anything. “You’re busy with your thesis and Becca has finals so… I don’t really want to be a bother.”

“You’re not, Steve.” he says, standing up. “I… can’t you stay?”

“Bucky, I…” he tries to start, but Bucky shakes his head.

“I know I’m not the best company at the moment but… I want you to be here tomorrow, or else I’ll go crazy. And it seems silly to leave now if you’re just gonna come back tomorrow, doesn’t it?”

Steve chews his lower lip and nods. He rolls his eyes and smiles. “Okay. I’m sold. I’ll stay.”

Bucky lets out a squeal and kisses his lips. “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. Guess I’m gonna have to change again.”

“Oh, no. You should keep that outfit.” Bucky says, looking up and down to him.

Steve laughes. “And you still haven’t seen the one with the belly window.”

“Belly window? What’s- Steve! I want to see it!”

Steve ends up changing and spending the day beside Bucky, sitting on the couch switching between watching TV and checking social media on his phone. From time to time, too, he answers Bucky’s questions and checks facts. At some point after having lunch, Alpine climbs into his lap, which Steve takes as a good sign, and spends a good part of the next two hours stroking his fur, until the cat grows bored of him and leaves.

He also discovers that Bucky is really tactile. Even if they’re not talking, he always has a hand on him. Either his arm, his knee, or his thigh, Bucky is always touching some part of his body, making Steve feel warm under his touch.

It’s around 7PM when Bucky closes his laptop and takes a deep breath. He looks at Steve and smiles.

“I’m done. There is definitely nothing else I can improve. If I don’t get my PhD with this, I won’t get it with anything else.” he states. Steve smiles and kisses his cheek.

“You’re gonna get it. Don’t worry.” he assures the brunet. Bucky chews on his lip and leans back on the couch. Closing his eyes, he groans.  
“I’m stiff as fuck.” he mutters. “God, my back is going to kill me.”

“Yeah?” Steve asks. “You want a massage?”

Bucky opens one eye and looks at him. He grins. “Happy ending included?”

“Bucky.” Steve protests, blushing. Bucky chuckles and closes his eye again.

“It’s a joke, grandpa. Don’t take it so seriously.”

“Grandpa? You wanna know something about _your_ grandpa, Buck?” Steve teases.

“God, no. Shut up, I had almost forgotten about it.” Steve snickers, and Bucky opens his eyes again and looks at him. “I accept your offer though.”

“Great. Take off your shirt.” he demands. Bucky tilts his head.

“So demanding…” he sighs, but does as told, to then turn his back at Steve.

Steve puts his hands on Bucky’s shoulders and starts rubbing. Bucky lets out an almost pornographic sound, which makes Steve blush down to his neck.

Still, he keeps rubbing. He presses his thumbs in the space between Bucky’s shoulder blades, where a knot has formed, and listens to the brunet hiss. When he manages to get rid of it, he continues to rub lower.

They’re silent, but it’s comfortable. Steve focuses on Bucky’s breath, and his back. It’s another half an hour until he’s done, and as soon as he puts his hand off Bucky’s body, the guy falls back into Steve’s chest.

“God, that was great.” he says. “You’re great.” Steve smiles and kisses Bucky’s head. “Where’s Alpine?”

“Uh… Kitchen, I think. I don’t know. He was here for a while but got bored of me, I guess.” Steve replies, running his hand up and down Bucky’s arm.

“I wonder why.” Bucky says, and laughs when Steve gently slaps him. “Hey, I have a question.” Steve lets out a small hum and Bucky looks up at him. “So, chronologically speaking, you’re 101, right?”

“That I am.”

“And when we first texted, you told me you were 35. How does that work?”

“Oh, well, you know. I was born in July 1918, and I went down in February 1945, so I was 26. Then they defrosted me in 2011, and I was still 26. Now it’s 2020, so it’s been around 9 years. I’ll be 36 this July.”

“Huh. What does your license say?” Bucky asks, stroking his hand with his thumb.

“It does say 1918. But when you’re a war hero…”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what gets you off tickets, and not your pretty face.” Steve smiles.

“You think I’m pretty?”

Bucky lifts his left hand, holding his index and his thumb close together. “Like, this much.”

“Wow. You sure have bad taste, then.”

“Yeah, that’s what my mom says.” Bucky says, then laughs. “Hey, what time is it?”

“Around eight, I think.” Steve answers, and kisses his head again.

Bucky shifts, turning to look at Steve. He pecks his lips and then smiles. “Wanna have dinner?”  
“Shouldn’t we wait for Becca?” Steve raises his eyebrows.

“Nah. She’s with that boyfriend of hers, you know, in the library.” he rolls his eyes, and Steve laughs.

“They’re going steady already?”

“Going steady? God, sometimes I forget you come from the 40s. Yeah, they’re going steady. At least I think they are. I haven’t met the guy yet. All I know is his name is Jonah.”

“Jonah? Huh. That means ‘dove’.”

Bucky frowns. “How do you know that?”

“Remember how my mother was a nurse?” Bucky nods. “Well, when I was; I don’t know, twelve, maybe, our neighbor got pregnant and we used to help her out a lot. She was obsessed with names and meanings and she used to tell me all about it. She wanted me to help her choose.”

“You’re a nerd. What does James mean?” Bucky asks, looking up at him. Steve runs his fingers through the brunet’s hair, chewing down on his lip and frowning.

“Supplanter.” he deadpans.

“Wait, really?” Steve nods. “Woah, that sucks. And what does Steve mean?”

“Victorious.” Bucky frowns.

“That’s so much cooler than mine.” Steve laughs.

“Guess my mom loved me more than your parents loved you.” Bucky chuckles and runs his finger down Steve’s chest.

“Do you know what Rebecca means?”

“Servant of God.” Bucky scoffs and nods.

“Yeah. Sure, my Becca is such a servant of God. I don’t think she has stepped in a church in her whole life.” Steve shrugs.

“Guess not everyone can live up to their name.” Bucky frowns.

“Are you saying I’m a supplanter of sorts?” he points at Steve.

“No. I’m saying I’m victorious.”

“Yeah, whatever. Well, champ. Tonight’s prize is to make dinner.”

Steve groans. “But I made lunch.”

“And now you’re making dinner.” he says, kissing Steve’s nose.

Steve groans once again, and pushes Bucky aside to get up. The brunet snickers and kicks Steve’s butt softly as he walks by. “Thanks, babe!”  
“Yeah, whatever…”

They have just finished having dinner when Becca comes in the apartment.   
“Steve! You’re still here!” she smiles, and the blond waves at her. “I thought you’d be back home already.”

“Yeah, I was going to go back, but your brother asked me to stay, so…” Becca wiggles her eyebrows, making Steve blush and Bucky laugh. “No, I mean…”

“Nah, sis. It’s totally that. You know, I’ve been so stressed lately, what I needed was…”

“Enough! I’m gonna go to my room now.” Becca interrupts, and takes long steps towards her bedroom.

Bucky laughs again and looks at Steve. “Did that bother you?”

“No, no. Don’t worry.” Steve assures him. Bucky nodded, and then leaned in the couch so that his head was on Steve’s lap.

“I’m really nervous about my thesis.” Bucky says, closing his eyes. Steve runs his fingers through the brunet’s hair.

“It’s gonna be okay, Buck. I believe in you. You’ve done a great work.”

Bucky smiles, but doesn’t say anything.

“So. I’m gonna be dating a doctor in no time, huh? That’s sexy.” Steve says. Bucky chuckles, and bites down on his lip. “What do you want to do after?”

“After I get my PhD?” Bucky asks, and Steve hums. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll try to find a job. A real one, I mean.”

“You have a real job, Buck.”   
“I just help out in the bookshop. I want to teach History.”

“In a high school?” Steve asks. Bucky shakes his head.

“College. NYU, maybe Columbia. But that’s dreaming too high.”

“It really isn’t. You’re really smart, Buck. You could teach in Columbia easily.”

“Not smart enough to figure out I was texting Captain America.”

Steve laughs, shaking his head. Then, he leans in to kiss Bucky’s forehead and keeps running his fingers through his hair until he falls asleep.

The morning after, they wake up in Bucky’s bed, limbs tangled with each other’s. Steve wakes up as soon as the first rays of sun enter the room, but it takes Bucky a bit longer. Steve doesn’t care, though, he’s happy just looking at the other sleep. He doubts he has seen Bucky this peaceful since they saw each other for the first time.

When Bucky finally wakes up, Steve kisses his temple.

“Good morning.” he whispers. Bucky rubs his eyes and looks around the room.

“How did we get here?” he asks, sleepily. Steve notices the hint of Indiana’s accent on Bucky’s voice.

“I brought us after you fell asleep.” he says. Bucky groans, hiding his face in Steve’s neck.

“You brought me here, in your arms, and I was asleep?” Steve smiles, running his hand up and down Bucky’s back.

“Sorry, Buck. Next time.”

Bucky sighs, and moves closer to Steve’s body.

“You’re warm.” he mutters. Steve nods.

“Yeah. So I’ve been told.” Bucky frowns and looks at him. “Uh, Nat and I. We sleep together. Sometimes.”

Bucky. “As in…”

“Just sleep. Believe me, that wouldn’t work. And she’s like the sister I never had so… it would be weird. We just… it’s easier. We have nightmares. You know how it is.”

Bucky looks down, and nods. “Yeah. I have some too. Becca couldn’t sleep for the first month I was back, when we were still in Indiana.”

Steve sighs, and looks at him. “I was alone, at first. So it wasn’t really easy. I think for the first two months, I didn’t sleep more then two hours a day. But after the whole Loki thing in 2012, when I met her. We weren’t friends at first, you know? She was so… stubborn and sneaky and she always wanted to do shit on her own. She would only talk to Clint, but after a while… SHIELD started sending me to her missions, and her to mine, and we ended up bonding. It would surprise you how much trauma can bond two people.” Bucky chuckled, hitting Steve’s pec. “I mean it. After a while we were inseparable. Clint was _jealous_ of me. And yeah, everybody thought we were gonna end up being a thing or something but… no. We didn’t.”

“Yeah. Usually happens when you’re gay. You end up not dating your female best friend.”

“I’m not gay.” Steve rolls his eyes. Bucky chuckles and leans in to kiss him.

“Could’ve fooled me.” he says, and then stands up. “Let’s go have breakfast. We need to think how I’m going to distract myself until twelve o’clock!”

Steve stands up and follows Bucky to the kitchen, where Becca is having breakfast and reading something on her phone.

“Oh, hey.” she smiles at them. “I left some coffee for you guys.”  
“You already had breakfast?” Bucky asks, as he takes the pot and two mugs.

“Yeah. And fed Alpine. I’m leaving now. I have to get to the library before all the good spots are taken. I’ll see you for dinner.”

“Make sure. I want you here when I send it.” Bucky warns her, pointing at her with his index.

“I will. Love you.” she says, and stands on her toes to kiss his cheek. She hugs Steve good bye and leaves the apartment.”

“Want some eggs?” Bucky asks as he offers him one of the two coffee mugs. Steve nods as he grabs one. “Great.”  
He grabs his phone and starts playing music and starts cooking. Steve immediately recognizes it. It’s Queen. He smiles and picks his own phone from his pocket. He doesn’t have much battery, but it’s enough to check his messages. There are a few from Nat, one from Tony and two from Sam. He opens the latter’s chat first.

_Hey dude. Nat told me you were spending a few days in New York. Have fun! Be careful!_

_I mean, you can’t get him pregnant, but… you know. Don’t pop anything!_

He snorts and sends back a quick message.

_Don’t worry, I won’t pop anything. Or I’ll try. See you soon!_

He moves on to Tony’s text.

_Since I’m in New York too… any chances I can meet Prince Charming?_

_No._

He’s about to go to Natasha’s chat when the screen changes to an incoming call from Tony. He sighs and picks up.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” he asks. Steve pinches the bridge on his nose.

“Tony. I mean no.” he says. Bucky turns back to look at him, confused.

“Come on! I want to meet him.” he whines.

“It’s too soon.”

“Nat met him!” Tony protests.

“Yes, but it’s too soon for him to meet _you_.”

“Meet who?” Bucky asks.

“Is he there? Put me on speaker. I wanna talk to him.” Steve sighs again, putting the call on speaker.

“Tony, you’re on speaker now.” he declares.

“Hey, Prince Charming.” Tony says, and Steve blushes.

“Uhm. Hi?” Bucky says at the same time he takes the eggs off the pan and on a plate, which he places in front of Steve.

“I like his voice. So, listen. I’m Tony Stark, obviously. And Steve here thinks it’s too soon for us to meet. What do you say?”

“Uh…” Bucky looks at Steve, not knowing what to say. Steve shrugs. “I would… love to meet you, Mr Stark, but…”  
“Mr Stark was my dad. I’m Tony.” he interrupts. “And I accept no ‘buts’. So I want you two in the Waldorf by twelve. We’ll have lunch. See you!”

And he hangs up. Bucky laughs, and Steve rolls his eyes. He puts his phone away, and looks at Bucky.

“Great. This is exactly how I wanted to start our day.” the blond groans.

“Steve, it’s okay. I mean, who doesn’t want to meet the Iron man?” he smiles, sitting in front of him.   
“I just… Tony can be too much, sometimes, you know?” Bucky shrugs.

“I’ll handle it.” he says. “Plus, I need a distraction. As long as we’re here by eleven o’clock, I’ll be fine.”

Steve takes Bucky’s hand and squeezes it.

It hits him one hour later: he has no clothes other than his uniform. And yeah, Bucky’s sweats are nice to walk around the house and all, but he can’t wear his jeans out. Bucky wear pants tighter than Tony’s.

Not that he was complaining, but still.

Bucky is watching TV with Steve’s feet on his lap when he looks at him.

“Are you trying to dig a hole through my skull with your eyes?” he asks, and Steve notices that he has been looking at him too intensely for too long.

“No.” Steve replies. “I just noticed that I have no clothes.” Bucky looks at him, fully clothed. “For our date with Tony.”

“Oh! I can lend you some.” Bucky smiles. Steve frowns again. “What?”

“Uhm. I’m… bigger than you. It won’t fit.” Bucky rolls his eyes.

“You’re not that much bigger, Steve.”

“Yeah, but…” Steve starts talking, and Bucky raises an eyebrow.

“Do you not like my clothes, Steve?” Bucky asks, and he seems a bit offended.

“No, Buck, it’s not that. I just. Your pants. They’re…”  
“Tight? I mean. They’re supposed to be like that, grandpa.”

“They seem uncomfortable.”

“Believe me, they’re not. Even if they were, they work.” Bucky smiles.

“Work?” Steve asks, confused.

“Their one and only purpose is attract hot guys.” he says, and pats Steve thighs. “So they work.”

Steve blushes a little at that, and looks away. “I still don’t have anything to wear. I can’t just wear my uniform. It will draw attention.”

“Yeah. You’re right. Let me call Becca, she might have something around from some ex.” he says, and stands up.

He walks inside her room, and Steve frowns.

“Are you calling her or going through her stuff?” Steve asks.

“Hate the game, not the player!” Bucky shouts.

“You’re not going to like it when you find the condoms!” Steve shouts back. Bucky groans and Steve laughs.

After a few minutes, he goes out with a pair of jeans and a pink jumper. “What do you think? Will these crush your nuts?” he says, throwing him the jeans.

“I think they’ll be okay. But I don’t know how I feel about wearing someone else’s jeans.” Steve says.

Bucky laughs. “I mean, Becca broke up with Colin six months ago. If he wanted them he’d have come for them already. You’re okay with the pink jumper?”

“Yeah.” Steve says. “No one expects Captain America to wear one of those. It’s perfect.”

Bucky rolls his eyes and sits on his lap. “Stop thinking about work.” he says. Steve shrugs and puts his arms around him. Bucky pecks his lips and smiles. “Let’ s get ready. This hair takes too long to dry.”

Steve laughs, squeezes him, and Bucky stands up and disappears behind the bathroom door.


	6. Sic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a very short chapter, but the ending is so cute. i hope you guys like it!!

At 12 o’clock, Bucky and Steve walk inside the hotel, hand in hand.

“I… had never been here before.” Bucky confesses, looking around the hall.

Steve smiles at him. “It struck me the first time too. Not a lot of hotels like this one back in the day, I can tell you that.”

Bucky laughs. “I’ll add that to the thesis.” he mutters. Steve stops walking.

“Hey, no. Stop thinking about that. We’re here now and we’re not thinking about the thesis, okay?” Bucky nods.

“Yeah. You’re right. Where’s Tony?”

“I’m not sure.” Steve says, looking around the hall. When he finally spots a familiar face, he smiles. “Come with me.” he says, dragging Bucky with. “Pepper!” he greets the redhead when they reach her. She is smiling at them with a smile on her face and his trademarked classiness.

“Steve, you’re finally here!” she says, and walks forward to press a kiss on Steve’s cheek.

“I didn’t know you were going to be with us.” he says.

“Well, it’s not like I could leave you two here alone with Tony.”

Steve laughs and thanks her. “Oh, by the way. This is Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Potts.” he says, offering her his hand.

“Please, call me Pepper. I’m just your boyfriend’s friend.” she says, shaking his hand. Steve winces a little. They haven’t discussed the b-word yet. He looks at Bucky, but he seems cool about it. Did he not notice or did he not want to make things awkward? Maybe they should talk about it some time later. “Come on,” she said, making a motion with her hand. “Tony is waiting for us.”

The three of them walk inside the hotel restaurant, where Steve spots Tony sitting in a table on the back, toying with his phone.

“Tony.” he greets when they reach the table.

“Capsicle!” Tony cheers, standing up. “Good to see you, man. You look great, it almost looks as if you never were on a battle like two days ago. And you must be Capsicle’s best guy.” he says, looking at Bucky. “I never thought Steve would like a long haired. I thought you weren’t ready for those kind of things, Rogers.”

“It’s just hair.” Steve shrugs.

“I’m Bucky.” the brunet says, stretching his hand before the billionaire says something else. Tony raises his eyebrows, shaking their hands.

“Okay, I knew that, but now I realize that is not going to work.” he says. “What kind of adult man goes around calling himself Bucky?”

“Tony.” Steve warns him, making he rolls his eyes.

“It’s okay.” Bucky says. “It’s a nickname. My real name is James Buchanan.” he explains.

“James- Your name is James Buchanan? What, like the president?” Tony chuckles. “I like you.”

Bucky smiles. “Thank you. Yeah, my mom was a History teacher, so.”

“And so is he.” Steve says, smiling.

“A teacher? Fulfilling teenage fantasies, Rogers?”

“Tony.” Pepper says, not lifting her sight from the menu.

“Yes, I did History in college.” Bucky starts. “I’m currently working on my PhD thesis.”

“But he has to send it in tomorrow and he’s nervous so we promised not to talk about it.” Steve says, looking down on Bucky, who sighs.

“God, you’re disgustingly domestic. I hate it.” Tony grimaces, taking the menu. “So what’s your thesis about, lover boy?” he asks.

“Uhm, the Howling Commandos.” Tony looks at Bucky, blushing, and then at Steve, looking down at his own menu with a frown.

“You gotta be shitting me.”

“I mean. I started doing it long before I met him, even knew who he was, so…”  
“This is so great. Honey, have you heard that?” he asks Pepper, who hums and keeps looking at the menu. “Anyway, Jamie. Tell me more about you. Obviously your loverboy doesn’t like the PhD talk, so.”  
Bucky smiles looking at Steve, who is still frowning. “Well, uh. I’m from Indiana. I was in the Army for a while, but I can’t really talk about that. I came to the city to attend NYU. I live with my sister, Becca. She’s on her senior year in Psychology.”

“Your name is Bucky and hers is Becca. Jeez, what a family. What’s your dad’s name?”

“Uh. George, actually.” Bucky says.

“That’s boring. Continue.”

“Okay, well…” Bucky hesitates for a second, not knowing what else to say.

“How did you two meet?” Pepper asks. Steve coughs and blushes.

“Internet, actually.” Bucky says. “We’re number neighbors.”

“Number… neighbors?” she asks.

“Yeah, honey. Remember when the kid started talking to that really weird man, what was his name…” he says, snapping his fingers.

“Wade?” Pepper asks. Tony points at her.

“Yeah, Wade! And we had to change his number and all that?” Tony says.

“Yes, right. Because they had similar numbers, is that right?”

“Wait. You two have a kid?” Bucky asks.

Pepper giggles. “No, no. He’s Tony’s… intern.”

“More like godson. You can tell him.” Steve says. “He won’t say anything.”

Pepper looks around and leans closer to Bucky. “Do you know Spider-man?”

“Sure. I’ve watched some Youtube videos. He’s good. Wait- he’s a kid?” Bucky asks.

“He’s 16.” Steve tells him. “And Tony adopted him.”

“I didn’t adopt anyone. I just like having him around.” Tony explains. “He has an aunt.”

“You know Spider-man?” Bucky looks at Steve.

“Bucky. I know all of them.” Steve deadpans. Bucky’s eyes open wide.

“Right. Captain America.” he looks at Tony. “Iron Man.” Tony gives him a sided smile. “I forget sometimes.”

“Believe me. Given time, you won’t.” Pepper says. “Oh, by the way. You guys have to try the steak. It’s great.” she says, pointing at it on her menu.

Bucky looks at her and nods. He feels Steve’s hand on his knee and smiles at him.

“Yeah, let’s eat.” Tony says. “I’m about to die here.”

It’s 11:55PM when Bucky is sitting in his couch with his laptop on his lap and Steve and Becca sitting in both his sides.   
His knees are shaking and he’s biting on his thumb nail. Steve can hear him muttering dates and facts under his breath.

“Buck.” Steve says, taking the hand he’s got on his mouth. “Stop. I’ve read your thesis, okay? And as a WWII expert.” Becca giggles at that. “I can tell you that it’s great. Plus, you have a great way with words. Even though your texts are weird, sometimes.” Bucky smiles and takes a deep breath.

“I hate you.” Bucky says, and kisses Steve’s nose. “Okay. I’ll try to calm down.”

When the clock marks twelve o’clock, he sends in the thesis.

As soon as he has, he drops back and closes his eyes.

Becca takes the laptop and closes it, and then puts her head in Bucky’s chest. “You did great, Bucky.”

Bucky smiles, eyes still closed. “Thanks.”

Steve smiles at them, and moves to kiss Bucky’s cheek. “I’ll get us all some tea. And then you and I are going to bed and we’ll watch a movie until you fall asleep. And we will stay in bed until late tomorrow.”  
Becca groans and kicks Steve’s thigh. “I hate you two. Don’t talk about sex in front of me.”

Bucky laughs and ruffles Becca’s hair. “Yeah, Steve. I thought you were Captain America and all that. Captain America doesn’t talk about homosexual intercourse in front of little girls.”

Steve rolls his eyes and stands up. “You’re an ass.” he states and leaves for the kitchen.

He hasn’t even taken the cups out when he hears Becca get in the kitchen and sit on top of the table. Steve looks at her with his eyebrows raised. She crosses her legs and looks at him.   
“So.” she starts. “Lunch with Tony Stark. That must be nice.”

“You had dinner with the Black Widow.” he points out.

“Yeah. I was just wondering if you could arrange one of those for your favorite sister-in-law.”

Steve smiles a little at the term as he puts the tea leaves on the kettle. “You want to have lunch with Tony Stark?”

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be him…” she says. Steve looks at her.

“Wait a minute. You want to have lunch with Thor, don’t you?”

Becca blushes a little as she nods. “Yeah. I mean, you _have_ seen him. Even if you weren’t attracted to men, you would get my point.”

“You are aware that Thor is very, very much older than you?” he says, crossing his arms after putting the kettle on the stove.

“You’re very, very much older than Bucky.” she says. Steve chuckles.

“Yeah, but I didn’t have a long-term relationship when I met your brother.”

Becca sighs, leaning down on the table. Steve softly kicks the furniture. “Becca, you eat in that table.”

Becca suddenly sits up and looks at him with one eyebrow raised. “Are you telling me what I can’t do in my own house?” Steve clears his throat. She’s right. He went over the line. He’s about to apologize when she giggles. “I’m kidding. You’re right. Bucky hates it too. You guys are made for each other.”

A soft smile is drawn in Steve’s face, and Bucky walks in the kitchen too. He looks sleepy, and is dragging his feet as he walks.

“Where’s my tea?” he asks, rubbing his face. Steve looks at the kettle behind him.

“Will be in a minute. Why don’t you go to bed already? I’ll bring it to you.” Bucky looks at him, and then at his sister.

“Going to bed before the grandpa. Shoot me in the leg.” he mutters, and turns back to walk to his bedroom.

Becca starts laughing and Steve shakes his head.

When the tea is ready, Becca takes her cup and takes it to the living room, where she sits on the couch with Alpine on her lap, and goes to watch Friends reruns. Steve, on the other hand, takes both cups and walks to Bucky’s room.

The brunet is already in bed, sitting against the headboard and checking his phone. Steve sits in front of him and offers him one of the cups.

Bucky smiles at him as he takes it and takes a sip.

“I know we said not to talk about it.” Steve starts. “But when will you know if you’re getting the PhD?”

“I mean, I sent it; but I still have to do my defense next week.” Steve nods. “Then it’s a few weeks until I know. And then, hopefully, graduation.”

Steve leans forward to kiss Bucky’s forehead. “I have to go back tomorrow. But I’ll try to come soon, okay?”

“Steve, it’s okay. I won’t go batshit crazy again, okay? There’s nothing else I can do now. Plus my defense is basically one hour talking about the guy I make out with and his friends, so it can’t be that hard.”

Steve chuckles and looks at him. “Okay, but as soon as you know, I want you to call me.”

“I will. I promise.” he says, and pecks Steve’s lips. “Will you come to my graduation?”

“Of course I will.” he whispers.

“Sure? My parents are going to be there, you know?” Steve blushes, and looks down to his cup.

“It’s okay if you don’t come. We can celebrate later, just the two of us.” Bucky winks at him, and Steve punches his arm. “Come on, finish your tea. I want to go to sleep.”

The blond nods, and they keep talking until both cups are empty, and they cuddle under the blankets. Steve turns off the lamp beside Bucky’s bed and runs one hand up and down Bucky’s back. “Hey, Steve?” Bucky whispers. Steve looks down at him. “Thanks for staying. I know it wasn’t pretty seeing me like that, but…”  
“Don’t worry, Buck. Believe me, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Bucky sighs and presses a kiss to Steve’s chest. A few seconds later, he’s asleep. Steve marvels down at him, smiling. He could get used to this.

The morning after, when Steve wakes up, Bucky is not in the bed anymore. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, hearing his surroundings. He hears soft talking from the living room, so he throws the cover back and stands up, walking there. Bucky and Becca are sitting in the living room, playing footsie and looking at the ceiling, talking about Friends.

When Bucky spots him, he asks.

“Steve, as the only person in this house to like women.” he says, to which the blond frowns. “Who would you rather date? Monica, Rachel or Phoebe?”

“Well, Phoebe and I wouldn’t get alone. She’s too mystic for me. And Rachel reminds me too much of Tony. So it would be Monica.”  
“Told you so!” Bucky says, and kicks Becca’s foot. She rolls her eyes. “I should’ve bet money on it.”

“Buck, for god’s sake.” Steve mutters, and the brunet laughs.

“Hey, Steve.” Becca says. “Bucky said you’re leaving today.”

“Yeah, I have to go back to being good old Cap.” he shrugs.   
“That sucks. I like having you around. Although, we could come visit!”

“You just want to see Thor.” Bucky says, rolling his eyes.

“And? Since when are you the only one who can date a super hero?” she says, kicking his foot.

“Don’t kick me!” he complains.

“I’m afraid Thor is in Asgard, Becca. But yeah, if you ever want to come visit, give me a call, and I’ll send someone here to pick you guys up. I can even arrange a bedroom beside Natasha’s for you, Beccs.”

“God, Steve. I love you. Can we switch places? I’ll let you keep Jonah.” she says, looking at her brother. Bucky fakes dry heaving. Then he stretches his arm and makes a grab motion towards Steve.

The blond moves closer to him, sits on the couch’s arm and takes his hand. Becca rolls her eyes and stands up. “I’m going to go to the library. I actually do have exams, just FYI.” she says, and walks to her bedroom.

Bucky looks at him. “She’s actually going to Jonah’s.” he whispers. Steve chuckles. “When are you leaving?”

“I wanted to grab a shower first, actually. If that’s okay with you.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Oh, no. God forbid me of having you naked in my own house. Of course you can take a shower. Take that shower, I’ll make breakfast, and then you can leave.”

“Okay. I have to call my ride first, though.”

“Your ride?” Bucky laughs. Steve shakes his head.

“Nat.”

“Of course. Go take that shower, big guy.”

After Steve comes out of the shower and puts his Captain America costume again, he goes to the kitchen, where a few different dishes with fruit on them are on the table. He sits down as Bucky puts a coffee cup in front of him. “I don’t know how to tell you this.” Bucky says, and Steve frowns. “But Alpine got hold of the shield the other day and has been sleeping on it since.”

“Oh, great. Like I needed him to hate me any more.” Bucky chuckles and sits in front of him.

Steve bits down on his lip and looks at him.

It’s now or never.

“Bucky? Can we talk?” Bucky frowns, but nods. Steve clears his throat. “You know, yesterday, Pepper said something and I’ve been thinking about it since.”  
“What is it?” Bucky asks. Steve takes hold of his hand, and strokes it with his thumb.

“She called me… your boyfriend. And I mean, I know we haven’t talked about that and I’m really sorry if it bothered you in any way at all I just want you to know all I ever said was that we were dating and-”

“Steve.” Bucky interrupts. “Listen. It’s okay. We’re dating, exclusively, so that already kind of makes us boyfriends, although we haven’t talked about it. I’m incredibly unbothered by you being my boyfriend.” he smiles, and squeezes Steve’s hand. Steve lets out a deep breath and nods.

“Okay. Okay. So, uhm.”

“Yes Stevie. I’m your boyfriend now.” Bucky chuckles.

“Huh. That was pretty easy.”  
“Yeah it was. Now go and finish your breakfast and go back to work. Vacation is over, golden boy!”


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE'S THE LAST CHAPTER I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT <3<3<3<3<3<3<3
> 
> (there also is an epilogue tho hehe)

A month later, Bucky and his sister arrive to the compound, suitcases in hand. Steve is the one to receive them, hugging Becca tight and kissing Bucky senselessly. There are some agents around, and they keep staring at their public demonstration of affection until Natasha pops up to give them the death stare.

“Hey, Barneses.” she greets, smiling at Becca, who looks like she’s beaming.

Steve and Bucky aren’t kissing anymore, but their hands are clasped together and the distance between them equals zero.

“I can’t believe we’re here. I mean. This is so super secret, and we’re here!” Becca yells.

“Yeah, it’s super secret, so you really can’t talk about that you see while you’re here.” Steve warns her. “Oh, and you need to carry these around.” he says, giving them their security cards. “Don’t lose them, they’re also the keys to your rooms.”

Becca and her brother nod and put their cards inside their pockets. The four of them go inside the building, and they take one of the elevators to the rooms floor. “Becca’s room is beside Natasha’s, as promised.” Steve says, and the girl squeals as the redhead winks at her. “And Bucky, you’re staying with me. We all have private bathrooms, but the kitchen, living room and other stuff are common.”  
“What does ‘other things’ mean?” Becca asks.

“We have a gym. Well, we have the one we use for training and the one the agents use, but we have a smaller one for Pepper, or Clint’s family when they come, or for us when it’s just light work out, out of schedule. So you can use it if you want.” Natasha explains.   
“Oh yeah, I bet Bucky is going to use a lot of that.” Becca jokes, elbowing her brother. Steve laughs, as the brunet rolls his eyes.

“We have a movie theater too. You know how Tony is.” Steve says.

“That’s more like it.” Bucky says, as the elevator reaches the floor and the doors open. They divide paths there, the girls going to the right and the boys to the left.

When they reach Steve’s room, Bucky walks in slowly, taking in the space around him.

“It’s a bit dull. I don’t spend much time here.” Steve says.

“No, actually. It’s very you. It’s stern, but calm. And if you look close enough, you get to see the details.” he says, leaving the suitcase and Alpine’s carrier in the floor, and walking towards the nightstand. He picks up the frame on it and turns to see Steve. “She’s your mother, right?” he asks. Steve smiles and nods. “And…” he turns again, and walks to the shelve full of books, where there’s another frame. “Here’s Peggy.” he smiles, and bends to look at another frame. “And the Commandos.” he stands up again and takes a step back. “You have a lot of books. How many have you actually read?” he asks.

“It’s just. People liked recommending me books and according to them they would help me keep up with the times. I still have them so I might as well read them someday.”

“Mhm.” Bucky says. He keeps looking around and then he smiles. “You drew that?” he says, pointing to a sheet stuck to the wall.

“Yeah. It’s my mom. I really missed her. I have other drawings on my office. I’ll show you later. You must be tired.” Bucky shrugs.

“Not that bad, but I should shower and change clothes. I have to make a good impression.” he says, and walks towards the carrier. He opens it and Alpine walks out, sniffing around the room. “He does that when he’s in a new place, sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t let him out the room, Sam and Clint are allergic.” Bucky nods. He keeps looking around, making Steve frown. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I need to tell you something.” he says, and clasps his hands together.

“What is it?”

Bucky smiles and jumps a little on his toes. “I got an email this morning. From NYU. I’m officially a doctor.”

Steve’s eyes widens and he runs to hug Bucky. “Buck! That’s awesome!” he says, and kisses his cheek. The brunet laughs and hugs him back, hiding his face in the other man’s neck. “Did you tell Becca yet?”

“No. I wanted you to be the first. I also have to call my parents, I guess.”

“Yeah. You do that now. And then shower, and then I’ll show you the rest of the compound and we’ll look for Becca and tell her.”

“Okay.” he says, and kisses him. “You’re the best.”

Steve smiles. “I’m really proud of you, Buck.”

“Thank you, Steve. Really.”

After Bucky gives his parents the news and showers and spends twenty five minutes deciding what to wear to impress Steve’s friends, they take each other’s hands and walk back to the elevator. Steve takes them to the living room, where Peter is playing some video game with Wanda.

“Hey, kids. How long have you been at it?” Steve asks. Peter pauses the game and looks at him.

“Half an hour, or so.” Wanda says, and presses play again, making Peter’s eyes go wide and start pressing the buttons quickly.

Steve, though, raises one eyebrow and crosses his arms. “Peter?”

“I’m so sorry, sir, she told me not to say anything. We’ve been playing the whole afternoon.”

“Peter!” Wanda complains, rolling her eyes and dropping the control.

“You know the rules, Wanda. It’s not healthy.”

“I know, Cap. Sorry. But Peter brought a new game and it’s really fun!” the girl smiles.

“Is it violent?”

“No.

“Peter?”  
“Uhm, a bit.” the kid whispers.

“Peter!” Wanda complains again.

“But it’s okay, Captain, sir! They’re bad guys.”

Steve sighs and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he opens them again. “Anyway. I wanted you guys to meet someone.” he says, pointing at Bucky with his head.

“Hey.” Bucky says waving at them.   
“You’re…” Wanda says, and her eyes are sparkling. “Steve’s boyfriend?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.”

She stands up and walks to him, offering him a hand. “I’m Wanda. Nice to meet you, Mr Barnes.” she says.

“Doctor Barnes.” Steve corrects, smiling.

“Well, I don’t have my diploma yet, but…”  
“You have a PhD?” Peter says. “That’s so cool man!”

“And you must be Spider-man.” Bucky smiles at the teenager.

The kid frowns. “How do you… how do you know who I am?”

“Steve told me. You’re very brave for a kid your age, man. I respect that.” he says. Peter smiles softly, playing with his hands.

“Uh, thanks. Mr Captain, sir.” he says, and Steve looks at him, raising his eyebrows. “I like your boyfriend.”

Bucky chuckles and offers Peter his fist. “You’re cool, kid.” Peter fist bumps him, blushing a little, and goes back to sitting on the couch.

“You can keep playing if you want.” Steve says. “But this is a one day thing.” he warns them. Wanda laughs.

“Oh, Doctor Barnes, can you come over more frequently?”

Steve rolls his eyes and takes Bucky’s hand again, dragging him to another room.

That next room turns out to be the fore-mentioned gym. Only Sam Wilson is there, running on the treadmill, and when he sees them walking in, he slows down until it stops.

“Steve! You’re finally introducing your best friend to your guy?” he says, stepping out of the machine and approaching them.

“Thought it was about time.” Steve says. “Bucky, this is Sam.”

“The other boy on his life.” Sam points out. “I’d shake your hand, man, but I’m kind of sweaty.”

“It’s okay.” Bucky chuckles. “Nice to meet you, Sam.”

“You too. How long are you staying?”

“Just a few days. My sister just finished her exams and this is kind of a mini-vacation, but we’re both graduating in two weeks.”

“Aw, yeah, Steve told me about that. I assume it went well.” Bucky nods.

“It did. I found out this morning.”

“Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you. Now you can make him your trophy husband.” Bucky laughs and Steve rolls his eyes.

“We’ll let you finish your session.” Steve says. “I just wanted you to meet him already.”

“Did he meet anyone before me?” he asks, frowning.

“Oh, yeah. He just met Peter.” Steve wobbles his eyebrows.

Sam rolls his eyes and groans, and then starts the treadmill again. Bucky and him leave the gym, and the brunet looks at him.   
“What’s with Sam and Peter?” he asks.

“He beat Sam’s ass when they first met and it stung a little more when we discovered he was 15 at the time.”  
Bucky laughs. “Where are we going now?”

“I don’t know who else is here. Bruce is on his lab, probably, and he doesn’t like to be disturbed, so we can wait until dinner for that. Rhodey is doing Government stuff, and Carol is in space. T’Challa is in Wakanda, obviously; and Scott had Cassie this weekend so Hope and him must be in San Francisco. I think Clint was with his family, and Thor is still in Asgard. Nat and Becca must be somewhere. Oh, and Stephen pops in from time to time. You might get scared, be careful. Oh, and Vision does too. Pop in. And uh… Tony is probably with Bruce, but since you’ve already met him…” Bucky nods. “Let’s just go to the kitchen. I’m hungry.”

They go to the kitchen, and Steve starts toasting bread for the two of them. They’re halfway through their snack when Becca and Natasha walk in.

“Hey, strangers.” Natasha says, taking one of the pieces of bread from Steve’s dish and sitting beside him.

“Buck, this is so cool! Have you talked to FRIDAY yet?” Becca yells, excited, sitting beside her brother.

“Who?”

“FRIDAY is the AI that runs most of the common rooms. Just ask her anything when you need it.” Steve explains. “Like this. Hey, FRIDAY?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Please, join James Buchanan and Rebecca Winnifred Barnes to your database. And take in their requests.”

“Sure, Captain. Anything else?”

“No, FRIDAY, thank you.”

“Always a pleasure.”

“Wow.” Bucky simply says.

“Well, we do live with Tony Stark.” Natasha says.

“Bucky.” Steve says. “Don’t you have something to tell Becca?”

“Oh! Yeah! Becca. I’m a doctor now.” Bucky says, smiling.

“What? How long have you known?”

“Uh, since this morning.”

Becca stands up and shouts, and hugs her brother, and Bucky just laughs and hugs her back. Soon enough, Peter and Wanda are in the kitchen too, alerted by the shouting. Natasha sends them back to the living room as Becca keeps yelling and Bucky keeps laughing. Steve smiles, looking at them. He feels a nudge on his shin, and he looks at Natasha. She winks at him, and nods. Yeah. She’s right.

Bucky finally meets the only other Avenger in the compound, Bruce Banner, when they have dinner together, an impromptu decision of one Tony Stark, and they get along quite well. Steve can’t help but tell Bruce as soon as he enters the room that Bucky is a Doctor now too, and he laughs. They start talking about their degrees and their thesis and everyone laughs when Bucky explains, once again, that he had already started it when he met Steve.

Bucky and his sister mingle with the Avengers easily, and Steve feels happy about it, because he’s pretty damn sure they’re in his life for a real long time.

Later that night, when they’re in Steve’s bed and Bucky has his head in Steve’s chest and the older man is stroking the younger’s hair, he speaks up.

“Is Jonah going to Becca’s graduation?” he asks.

“He has to. He’s graduating too.” Bucky answers. “Why?”

“Uh. I don’t know. Just wondering.”

“Steve.” Bucky says, looking at him. “Come on, it’s just me. You can tell me.”  
Steve smiles softly and starts talking again. “It’s just that… the Avengers are my family, basically. They’re all I have apart from you and Becca and Alpine. And you’ve already met them, and it all went great, so, I thought that maybe…”

“You want to meet my parents?”

“If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course it’s okay with me, dummy. They’re going to love you!” he says, and kisses Steve. Steve kisses back and smiles.

“God, Buck. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“From whom?” Steve asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Hm, you know. People.””  
“Such as?”

“Why, can’t I have my privacy?” Steve laughs, rolling his eyes, and kisses his head.

“Let’s go to sleep, Buck.”

“Well, okay. But only because you’re cute, huh.”

On Bucky’s graduation day, Steve and Tony fly together to New York. Tony has some stuff to do, so he drops him at Bucky’s apartment with a present for his boyfriend.

When Steve gets into the apartment, he leaves the box on the living room table and notices that whoever has opened the door for him must have vanished into thin air.

“Hello?” he says, louder than usual. Alpine walks towards him and rubs his head on his shin, and he bends to scratch his head.

“I’m in the bedroom!” Bucky’s voice comes from said room, and he walks there.

Bucky is in front of his mirror, wearing a suit, and he’s trying to knot his tie. His hair is up in a bun, and Steve leans in the door and looks at him.

“You look really good.” he says.

“Thanks, babe. Can you tie this for me? My hands are shaky.” Steve smiles, going to him, and ties the knot for him. Then, he pulls him in for a kiss.

“Tony got you a present. It’s in the living room. I wouldn’t open it in front of people, though.” Bucky chuckles. “Where is Becca?” he asks.

“Were you thinking about Tony _and_ my sister while we kissed?” Bucky raises an eyebrow.

“I always do.” the brunet rolls his eyes and bends down to tie his shoes.

“She went to pick up my parents at the hotel. They arrived two hours ago.” Bucky answers, going around his room picking things up.

“They’re not staying here?” Steve asks.

“Nope. You are.”

“Oh. I was actually thinking about going back to the Waldorf, Buck. I don’t want your parents to waste money like that.”  
“It’s okay, Steve. Becca is staying with them, too.”

Steve frowns. “Why is Becca staying with them?”

“So we’ll have the house for us.”

“What do you… oh.”   
“Yeah.” Bucky chuckles, looking at him. “Oh.”

“Okay. Okay.” Steve says, and he can feel his blush going down his neck. Bucky shakes his head as he keeps looking for things.

“Hey, can you get Alpine and bring him here? My dad doesn’t like him all that much.”

“Sure.”

Steve walks out the room to find that Alpine is already in someone else’s arms. Becca, along with George and Winnifred Barnes, are standing in front of him, the white cat held by the girl.

“Oh.” he says. “Uh. Hi.”

“Steve! You’re here!” Becca says, and walks to him. They hug and she turns to look at her parents. Mom, dad, this is Captain America.” she says.

George’s eyes widen, and Winnifred coos at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Rogers.”

“Please, just call me Steve.” he asks her. “Pleasure to meet you too.”

“So, what do we owe the pleasure?” George asks. Steve looks at Becca and clears his throat. She gives him Alpine and rolls her eyes.   
“Steve is Bucky’s boyfriend, daddy.” she says. Winnifred gasps and covers her mouth. George’s eyes widen even more.

“Uh, yeah. We’ve been dating for almost two months.” Steve explains, scratching Alpine’s head.

“And they’re so cute!” Becca says, clapping. “Now where’s that brother of mine?” she says, looking at him.   
“Uh. Bedroom. He’s… finishing up.” Then he looks down at Alpine. “I’m going to take him there.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll do it. Bucky probably needs help finding his underwear, too. You guys talk.” she says, taking the cat again and disappearing inside Bucky’s bedroom.

Steve gulps and looks at the couple in front of him.

“Bucky didn’t say he was seeing anyone.” Winnifred says.

“I know, I asked him to. It’s safer for him this way.” Steve says.

“Safer?” George asks.

“Since Tony started dating Ms Potts, she received many threats. Some folks acted on them, even. I don’t want Bucky to be under that risks unless I can be there with him to protect him.”

Winnifred smiles at him. “That’s sweet of you. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Mrs Barnes. I care about your son, a lot. Your daughter too. As long as I’m around I’ll do all I need to make sure they’re okay.”

“Oh, don’t Mrs Barnes her. You’re our son’s boyfriend, I think we can all be informal.”

Steve smiles and nods, and Becca and Bucky appear in the living room.

“Oh, you’ve all met. Great.” the brunet says, and looks at his watch. “So I think I’m officially late, but we can hang out a little more if you want.”

“James Buchanan!” Winnifred yells, taking her coat and purse, making her son roll his eyes, again. Steve is pretty sure they’re going to fall out of his sockets before the day is over “Come on, no son of mine is going to be late to his own graduation.”

Bucky takes Steve’s hand on his, and the five of them leave the small apartment.

After the graduation, they go have dinner to a restaurant, and Steve gets to know the Barneses better. And then, after dessert, he and Bucky go back to the apartment and the rest of the family goes to the hotel room.

They’re in bed, cuddling, Bucky’s head in Steve’s chest, like always.

“My mom is obsessed with you.” Bucky whispers. Steve chuckles.

“I wouldn’t say _obsessed_.”

“I would. She’s probably coming back for Independence Day just so she can bake you a birthday cake.” Steve laughs and hugs him closer.

“I bet her cakes are great.”

“Oh, my God. I love her, but she’s an awful baker.” Bucky groans. “Becca used to bake all the cakes and stuff. I just ate them.”

“Of course you did.”

“Yeah. I should probably start working out again now that I have free time.” he sighs.

“I could make you a plan.” Steve suggests.

Bucky looks up at him. “Steven.” he says, poking his bicep. “You’re a super soldier. I’m just a hot guy. We are not the same.” Steve rolls his eyes and Bucky giggles. “But I know a few exercises we can do together.” he winks, straddling him and kissing him.

Steve’s hands fly to Bucky’s ass, who rolls his hips against Steve’s. The blond moans, and breaks the kiss.

“Wait, Buck. Stop.” he asks him. Bucky does so, putting his hand in Steve’s cheek.   
“You okay?” Steve nods. “Sure?”

“I am okay. I just… Bucky, I’ve never done this before.”

“Yeah, I figured that out when you told me you had never been with a man.” Bucky says, smiling. Steve frowns at him. “It’s okay. We don’t need to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“No, I just. I want to, but I don’t want to… I want to make you feel good.”

“You will. Just don’t worry okay?” Bucky says, and pecks his lips. “Let me guide you.”

Steve smiles. “Okay. Yeah, okay. I’ll let you.”

Bucky goes back to the compound for the second time, this time, alone; for Steve’s birthday.

It’s a surprise, though. Natasha picks him up at his apartment and drives him to the compound. Steve is out with Tony and Thor on a mission, so he takes his suitcase to Steve’s bedroom and waits there, laying in the bed. A few minutes later, Sam knocks on the door.

“Hey, Bucky.” he says. Bucky looks at him and waves.

“Hello.” Sam sits beside him.

“So, your golden boy is turning 102.”

“Yeah. He’s an old man. I’ll probably leave him now.” he says, closing his eyes.  
“Nah, man. You won’t. You love him too much.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Bucky says. Then, he opens his eyes and looks at Sam. “Wait.”

“What?”  
“I love him?” Sam laughs.

“I don’t know. It looks like. Do you?”

“Uh. I think so?” Bucky frowns, sitting up. “Isn’t it too soon?”

“Love isn’t about time, Bucky. Any feeling is. They’re all about connection.”

Bucky nods, but keeps frowning. He looks at Sam. “What do I do now?”

“I don’t know. Tell him? It’s a hell of a birthday present.”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“Bucky. It’s Steve we’re talking about. He _does_ feel the same.”

“You think so?” Bucky asks.

“He’s my best friend. Yeah. I think so.”

The door opens and Steve walks in the room, dirty, his hair ruffled, and his face tired. Then he looks at his bed, where Bucky and Sam are sitting.

“Buck?” Steve says, and drops the shield to the floor.   
“Hi, Steve. Happy birthday.” Bucky says, smiling softly. Steve runs to him, and jumps on top of him, making Sam fall off the bed.

“Okay, okay.” he says. “I know where I’m not wanted.” he stands up.

“Sorry, Sam.” Steve apologizes, and Bucky’s head pokes out from behind him.

“Bye, Sam.”

He rolls his eyes and leaves the room, and Steve turns to look at Bucky and smiles.

“Hi, babe.” Bucky says. Steve leans in to kiss him and Bucky puts his arms around his neck.

“I thought you were in Indiana.” Steve says when they stop.

“I’m going after this. I was not going to leave you alone on your birthday.”

“God, you’re so great.” he says, and kisses him again.

After their reunion, they end up in the kitchen. The whole team is there, too, since they’re having birthday dinner, which is basically regular dinner but they get to eat cake. Peter has sat in front of Bucky, because he wants to ask him a lot of questions about college and all that.

“You know what? You should come to my school and be our teacher. You must be the greatest history teacher ever!” he says. Bucky frowns.

“Are they even hiring?”

“Well I don’t know, but…” he looks at Tony. “Tony, can you talk to Principal Morita?”

“Morita?” Bucky says. “Like James Morita? From the Howling Commandos?”

“Oh yeah! He’s his grandson or something. He’s got a picture of them in his office!” Bucky looks at Steve, who is looking at Peter. “What?”

“Did you know?” Bucky asks. Steve frowns.

“No. No, not really.” Steve says. He looks at his lap for a while and then keeps eating. Peter looks at Bucky.

“It’s okay.” Bucky mouths. Then they change the subject and finish their meal.

In the end, Bucky and Steve stay behind in the kitchen, cleaning after Steve’s friends.

“You know, when I saw you on TV a few months ago.” Bucky started, making Steve look at him from the sink. “I thought _‘Look at those guys. They’re all so noble, so responsible. So adults.’_ ”

Steve snorts. “What do you think now?”

“That maybe I should pitch Pepper some money to hire you all a nanny.” Steve laughs as he keeps washing the dishes. Bucky told him that he could just put them in the dishwasher, but the blond made it clear that he was going to wash them up whatever Bucky said.

“Do you like them, though?” Steve asks. Bucky smiles.

“Of course. They’re the Avengers!” he says. Steve smiles. “The kid is definitely my favorite. He’s so curious, so full of potential. And he’s so responsible, too. If I had been in his place, I doubt I would be doing what he is.”  
“Fighting bad guys, you mean?” Bucky nods.

“Yeah. I’d probably get myself arrested, actually.” Steve rolls his eyes as Bucky sits on the counter. “It must be cool to have super powers, though. Or whatever Natasha and Tony have.”

“Clint doesn’t have powers either.”

“True. What’s his thing, actually?” he asks. Steve shrugs.

“He’s got aim. But most importantly, he reminds us of who we are.”

Bucky frowns, looking at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know about me. I heal quickly, more than anyone alive. Thor is a god. Hulk doesn’t really get hurt, and Tony is inside an armor. Most of us have powers we can protect ourselves with. Sometimes you barely remember you do get hurt. Sometimes you don’t remember you’re not immortal. Barton does. Barton has a wife, and a family he will not leave behind. He can protect himself, yes, and he’s the better at doing so, because he’s the one with more at stake. Sometimes, when I’m in the battlefield, I look at him, and remember. We can get hurt, we can get killed. And I need to be careful.” Steve dries his hands in a hand towel and takes Bucky’s hand, looking at his eyes. “Because I had to protect people before, and because I have someone I can’t leave behind now.”

Bucky looks back at Steve’s eyes. “I love you.” he blurts out. Then, he realizes what he has said, and his eyes grow two sizes. “Shit.” he says. “Shit, Steve. I’m sorry, I-”

Steve smiles playfully, and squeezes Bucky’s hand. “I love you too.”

Bucky is at a loss of words. All he can do is look at Steve, at his blue eyes and his pink lips, smiling at him, and all he feels is Steve’s warm hand on his.

“You do?” Bucky asks, and Steve laughs.   
“Is it that hard to believe?” Bucky shakes his head, then starts laughing, and hugs Steve. He moves him so that Steve is between his legs, and hides his face on Steve’s shoulder. The blond runs a hand up and down his back, pressing a kiss on his hair.

“Steve?” Bucky says after a while of them just enjoying their closeness.   
“Yeah?”

“I’m so fucking glad I texted you.”

Steve laughs again, and nods. God, so is he.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THIS IS THE END
> 
> i love time skips, it makes my work so much easier. hope you like it! <3

Steve and Bucky have been together for a year when they decide it’s time to officially tell the world about them. They have tried to keep it a secret, Steve always wanted to make sure Bucky was safe and his privacy, intact; and they have been able to, more less. There’s been some leaked pictures, but most of them were of them on the street, taking a walk or coming in and out of cafeterias and this or that restaurant, and since Steve is who is – America’s symbol come from the 1940s, no one believed them to be more than just friends.

There were theories, even, that Bucky was Steve’s new sidekick, or that he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent trained by him. Bucky’s favorite is definitely the one that assumes Bucky is his _bodyguard_.

They decide on coming out when Becca moves in with Jonah, leaving Bucky alone in his apartment.

Becca had left ten minutes before with her last box, leaving the couple on the sofa watching some dumb movie. Suddenly, Bucky takes the remote and pauses the movie. He looks at Steve, who’s frowning, because he really was enjoying the movie, and says:   
“Move in here.” And it doesn’t really sound like a suggestion, more like an order. Bucky’s face is very serious, too.

Steve’s eyebrows fly to their forehead, and he sits up straight. “Are you sure? Buck, we should talk about it more thoroughly…”

“You’re already here all the time.” Bucky says, rolling his eyes. “Half your wardrobe is here. You even have a spare suit in my closet.”  
And it was true, Steve was there almost all the time. More times than not, the team had to pick him up before going on a mission from New York rather than from the compound.

“But what if people find out I live here? And I don’t mean like, just bad people, also… paparazzi and stuff. They won’t leave you alone.” Steve says, biting down on his lip. Bucky sighs.

“They’re going to find out some day. It’s probably better if they do it from you.” he says, pointing at him with the remote. Steve looks down at his feet, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Bucky takes his hand. “Steve. We’ve been doing this for a year. I’ve had this idea since Becca first said she was leaving. It’s time.”

“Are you sure?” Steve asks. Bucky chuckles.

“Is the sky blue?”

“What about Alpine?” he says, looking at the cat asleep on the back of the sofa. Bucky rolls his eyes.   
“He’ll live. Steve, come on. I’m ready for the world to know we’re in a relationship. I’m bored of seeing pictures of us on the internet and them saying we’re ‘such good friends’. And no one is coming for me. And if they do, you’ll be here. My kinght in shiny armor.”

Steve thinks about it for a moment. Bucky is right. It’s been a year. Bucky deserves to stop being a secret. And he really wants their relationship to move forward. This is the next step for them, and he wants to take it.

“Okay. Yes. I’ll move in.”

Bucky smiles, and leans in to kiss him. Steve kisses back. Yeah. This is where he belongs.

Two weeks later, his room at the compound is empty. He’s sitting in his old mattress, looking around his room. He takes a deep breath. It’s going to be so different from now on.

Natasha walks in and sits beside him. “Cold feet?” she asks.

“Not at all.” Steve answers. He has never been this sure of anything in his life.

“If it’s any difference.” she says, putting her head on his shoulder. “I think you’re doing the right thing.”

Steve doesn’t answer, but he puts his hand in Natasha’s knee.

After a moment of silence, he asks.

“What will you do now when you can’t sleep?” he says.

“I’ll manage. Don’t worry about me, kid. You have a new life now.” she says, and stands up. “You’ll come visit, though, right?”

“Of course. Family does that, right?.” she smiles and walks to the door. “Ten minutes!” she shouts as she leaves the room.

Steve sighs and stands up, ready to leave the room, when his phone pings. He takes it to check the message.

_You got this. I love you!_

He smiles and replies, walking out the room. Before he closes the door, he takes one last glance.

Cap had a good life.

Steve stands in front of a sea of journalists, alone, behind a podium with a microphone and a bottle of water.

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Steve Rogers, but you probably already know that. You also know that I’m Captain America. There’s a lot of things the world knows about me. But there are even more that it doesn’t.

For instance, the world doesn’t know about my engagement to Peggy Carter, which never lead to a wedding for obvious reasons. The world also doesn’t know that my mother had to live in another woman’s house until she got her job as a nurse and we had enough money to rent a small apartment for the two of us.

There’s a lot of things the world doesn’t know about Captain America; and there’s a lot of things the world doesn’t know about me, Steve Rogers.

If it doesn’t, is because I’ve wanted it that way. Although, there is one thing I want the world to know; because I don’t want anyone to think I’m ashamed of the best thing that has ever happened to me.

For over a year now, I’ve had the pleasure to be in the greatest relationship I could’ve ever imagined.

His name is Doctor James Barnes, and I’m utterly in love with him. You probably have seen pictures of us together before. They were out before we started dating, actually. You guys probably remember that too.

The reason I didn’t say anything about him before was that incident precisely. James is not a super hero, he’s not a public person. He deserved his privacy and his safety, which is why I waited for him to agree with this to say anything about my love life. I understand that as America’s icon you want to know about my personal life, but when it involves other people, I just want to make sure they’re safe. Bad guys watch the news too.

But that’s not the only reason why I called this conference. After a long talk with my partner, James, we’ve decided that our relationship has to take the next step. I realized then that for us to do so, there’s something I have to leave behind. I have given this a lot of thought, ask everyone involved, and everything led me here, in front of you, to inform everyone that I’m officially resigning of my duties as Captain America. It’s been great doing this, helping people and being your hero, but I’ve been doing it for too long.

Once, I told my friend that I considered myself ‘ the world's leading authority on waiting too long’, and I know now I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m ready for my new life to begin. 

If the world needs me again, be sure I’ll fight to save it. But from now, I will just be Steve Rogers.

Thank you all. Any questions?”

Everyone present raises their hand to the sky, and Steve has to repress his laugh. He points at a brunette in a grey pant suit.

“Hi, Ankita Ananias, from The New York Times.” she says, as she stands up. “So are you saying that your current partner is the man you were photographed with a year ago, whom you denied was your boyfriend?”  
“Well, he wasn’t my boyfriend then. We were just getting to know each other.” he smiles at the woman, who nods.

“And may I ask, how do you identify yourself?” Steve raises an eyebrow.

“You mean my sexuality?” the woman nods. “Well, I’m bisexual.”

“Thank you, Mr Rogers.”

“You’re welcome. Anyone else?”

More hands are thrown up and he picks someone random again.   
“Good morning, Mr Rogers. Margaret Elvis, from USA Today. What are you plans now?”

Steve takes a breath and shrugs. “So far, I’m going to move in with my partner. We may get married at some point, and we have actually talked about adopting kids in a near future, so I might be one of the few people, if not the only one, to become a parent in my early hundreds.” the crowd laughs softly. “There’s nothing settled yet. We’re going to take things as they come.”

“Thank you.”

Steve gives the word to a few more journalists who ask about his relationship with Bucky, how they met, and things like that. He points to one last person, who, for once, changes the subject.

“What about Captain America now? Is he going to disappear or will someone take your place?”

Steve smiles, looking at Sam, in the back of the room, beside Natasha and Pepper.

“Well, actually…”  
  


**The end.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and, scene!  
> guys, i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it.   
> it's probably only taken you a few days or hours to read this,but i've worked on this fic for around a year, and i'm very very proud of how it turned out  
> now, i invite you to check my other works, and hope you like those too!   
> thank you so much for all the support you've given me and i hope you guys are good. see you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> find me on twitter as @dragosteaseb and tumblr as @stuckylovers :)


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